Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many claims for services and expenses of returning officers in connection with the EU referendum are (a) have been settled and (b) remain outstanding; and if he will publish the cost of those payments.

Bridget Phillipson: Over two thirds of expenses claims from Counting Officers at the EU Referendum have been finalised. The remaining, outstanding claims are currently being processed. Once all claims have been processed and approved, the Commission will publish the information on its website.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to ensure that people without a fixed address are able to register to vote ahead of the May 2018 Local Elections.

Bridget Phillipson: The Electoral Commission will run a multimedia campaign ahead of the May 2018 local elections to encourage all eligible people to register to vote.This campaign will include work, building on previous partnerships with organisations including The Traveller Movement and Shelter, to provide resources and information to support those with no fixed address to register to vote. Partners, including local authority communication departments, will be encouraged to share these via their own networks at a local level.

Electoral Register: Learning Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will make issue guidance on (a) registering to vote and (b) participating in elections for parents and families of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Bridget Phillipson: There should be no barriers to voting for any person with a disability. The Commission has prepared an Easy Read form which people with a learning disability are able to use to apply to register to vote. The form is available on the Commission’s website and promoted to Electoral Registration Officers via the Commission’s bulletin for administrators.The Commission has ongoing partnerships with Mencap, Mencap Cymru, Mencap Northern Ireland and Enable Scotland; it is committed to providing ongoing support to these partners with joint Easy Read guides and other resources, to provide information on how to register and take part in elections for parents and families of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Polling Stations: Learning Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what training and guidance polling station staff receive before elections on the (a) challenges faced by and (b) support available to people with a learning disability.

Bridget Phillipson: Ahead of any election, the Commission provides resources for Returning Officers including training material, to ensure anyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so with confidence. It is the responsibility of Returning Officers to deliver training to polling station staff.The Commission’s Polling Station Handbook contains specific guidance for polling station staff on what support any person with a learning disability can request in order to be able to cast their vote.The Commission’s recent ‘Elections for Everyone’ report – which looks specifically at issues of access to elections for those with disabilities – contains a number of recommendations to ensure there are no barriers to any person with a learning disability being able to cast their vote.

Prime Minister

State Visits: Saudi Arabia

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she was accompanied on her recent visit to Saudi Arabia by any staff from the Defence and Security Organisation; and whether she raised (a) the sale of Eurofighter Typhoons and (b) any other arms sales to Saudi Arabia during that visit.

Mrs Theresa May: I discussed a number of defence and security matters of mutual interest during my recent visit to Saudi Arabia.I was not accompanied by staff from the Defence and Security Organisation.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Caroline Dinenage: Since 1 January 2015, 24,889 individuals have left the Department. We do not know how many of these were nationals of non-UK EU countries. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service, as part of wider pre-employment checks. But, there is no requirement on departments to retain this information, beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

Universal Credit: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in each local authority in the Greater Manchester area have been transferred from tax credits to universal credit.

Damian Hinds: We do not hold the requested data. The Department is not currently transferring claimants from legacy benefits (including those in receipt of Tax Credits) where their circumstances have not changed to Universal Credit. We will start this process in 2019 and it will be completed in 2022.

Universal Credit: Polygamy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes to benefit entitlement for partners in polygamous partnerships has resulted from the introduction of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: Universal Credit does not recognise polygamous marriages. In Universal Credit, a person who is not party to the earliest existing marriage has to claim as a single person on the basis of their own circumstances, as opposed to being treated as part of a couple. This is a simpler approach that is easier to administer and avoids complexity within the structure of the benefit.

Universal Credit: Suicide

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have taken their own lives while (a) applying for, (b) claiming and (c) under sanction in relation to universal credit.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not available.

Personal Independence Payment: Suicide

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have taken their own lives while (a) applying for, (b) claiming and (c) under sanction in relation to personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Children: Maintenance

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will direct the Child Maintenance Service to recognise care provided by grandparents and other family carers when calculating maintenance payments for parents who share the care of their children.

Caroline Dinenage: Our approach to shared care is to amend the maintenance calculation if the child in a case spends more than 52 nights a year at the same address as the non-resident parent. This is to recognise the additional costs directly borne by a parent to be able to provide shared care, such as having an extra bedroom in which the child can stay. There are no plans to expand the shared care allowance to include overnight care that grandparents and other family carers provide as the responsibility lies with the non-resident parent to pay the maintenance liability.

Department for Work and Pensions: Personal Records

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals currently have their records with his Department recorded clerically; and what steps his Department is taking to move clerical records to computer systems.

Caroline Dinenage: DWP is working towards delivering all customer services fully supported by computer systems in which non-digital services, based on customer needs, are kept to a minimum. However, at any point in time we will have a varying number of cases that are maintained clerically, for an average period of 4-6 weeks, while a system fault is being fixed for example and we currently maintain approximately 200,000 Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit cases clerically, although payments for these cases are managed using an existing computer system. There are currently no plans to further develop a technology system to process and maintain Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit cases.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department uses key performance measures which set a benchmark of 80 per cent of original decisions being upheld at the Mandatory Reconsideration stage.

Sarah Newton: There has never been a Mandatory Reconsideration target for upholding original decisions.The 80 per cent figure, which was used in the answer to a recent Freedom of Information request, was an internal measurement only used to indicate areas where the quality of initial decisions may not be meeting our expected high standards, therefore enabling us to investigate and address if required. Mandatory Reconsideration is a critical element our process and it is essential that claimants have confidence in it. Given the anxiety and confusion the 80 per cent figure has caused, we will therefore be using different ways of assuring quality going forwards.

Employment: Disability

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the relative proportion of disabled people in the part-time and full-time work forces; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Table 1 shows the proportion of disabled people among the working age population in full-time or part-time employment in quarter 2 of each year from 2013 to 2017. The table shows that the percentage of people in employment who are disabled increased from 10.1% in 2013, to 11.4% in 2017. There has been a larger increase in the proportion of part-time workers who are disabled, rising from 13.0% to 16.3% over the period, an increase of 3.3 percentage points. This compares to an increase in the proportion of full-time workers who are disabled, which has increased from 9.0% to 9.7%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points. Around two thirds of disabled people work full-time, with one third working part-time. Overall, 17.4% of working age people were disabled in 2017. The employment rate of disabled people increased by 5.6 percentage points between quarter 2 2013, and quarter 2 2017, to 49.2%. The Government is committed to seeing one million more disabled people in work over the next ten years. The Government recently published Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability setting out our ten year strategy for helping disabled people to enter and remain in employment. Table 1: proportion of working age people who have a disability, UK, April to June 2013 to 2017  Proportion of total population with a disabilityProportion of people in employment who have a disabilityProportion of people in full-time employment who have a disabilityProportion of people in part-time employment who have a disability201316.5%10.1%9.0%13.0%201416.7%10.3%8.8%14.4%201517.5%10.9%9.6%14.8%201617.4%11.2%9.6%15.8%201717.4%11.4%9.7%16.3%Source: Q2 data, Labour Force Survey Notes on the table:In the Labour Force Survey (LFS), respondents are asked to self-classify their main job as either full-time or part-time.In April 2013 changes were made to the wording of the disability questions in the Labour Force Survey. This means that estimates from 2013 onwards have been provided, as prior to this, data is not available on a consistent basis.Working age includes people aged 16 to 64.Missing values were excluded from the data to calculate proportions.Percentages have been rounded to one decimal place.Estimates from Quarter 2 are used as this is the latest available data for 2017 and this ensures all the data is comparable between years as the data is not seasonally adjusted.The disability definition covers people who self-report:A health condition or illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more,This condition(s) or illness(es) reduce their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

Universal Credit: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the roll-out of universal credit in Coventry South constituency will not result in an increase in child poverty in that constituency.

Damian Hinds: I refer the Member to the answer given on 7 December 2017 in response to PQ 118269.

Food Banks

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to visit (a) a food bank or (b) a soup kitchen in his capacity as Secretary of State in December 2017.

Damian Hinds: There are no such plans.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to abolish the seven-day waiting period for a new claim of JSA.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to abolish the seven-day waiting period for a new claim of ESA.

Damian Hinds: The government has no plans to abolish waiting days for Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.

Employment and Support Allowance

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the providers for ESA assessments have met their minimum contractual performance standards at any point since the beginning of their contract.

Sarah Newton: Work Capability Assessments are delivered through the Health and Disability Assessment Services contract delivered by the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA). The requirements set out in the contract are demanding and CHDA are expected to deliver to high standards across all areas of the contract, including volumes, quality and customer satisfaction. Contractual targets and provider performance is formally reviewed monthly and actions put in place to improve on any under achievement. Since the beginning of the contract CHDA have consistently met or exceeded some of these measures each month and have never failed to meet all of them at any one point in time.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the providers for personal independence payment assessments have met their minimum contractual performance standards at any point since the beginning of their contracts.

Sarah Newton: PIP assessments are delivered nationally by two Providers, Capita and Independent Assessment Service (IAS). Both contracts include a number of service levels that both Providers are measured on. The service levels include the speed of clearance of cases, telephony calls and written enquiries, claimant satisfaction, quality of assessments, levels of rework and the speed of clearance for rework requests. Contractual targets and provider performance is formally reviewed monthly and actions put in place to improve on any under achievement. Provider performance against each service level is formally reviewed each month with actions put in place to improve performance where performance has fallen below expectations. Since the beginning of the contract both Providers have consistently met/exceeded some of these each month and have never failed to meet all of them at any one point in time.

Welfare Tax Credits

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who are in receipt of tax credits, including the childcare element of tax credits, do not receive housing benefit.

Caroline Dinenage: At 31st August 2017 approximately 3.2 million people receiving tax credits, including those receiving the childcare element) were not receiving housing benefit.

Child Tax Credit: Housing Benefit

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of households in receipt of housing benefit who were also in receipt of childcare tax credits in each of the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: The requested information is shown in the table below: Claimants receiving both Housing Benefit and the Childcare Element of Tax Credits - 31st August 2015, 2016 and 2017  ThousandsAugust 201590August 201690August 2017100

Universal Credit

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Alternative Payment Arrangements have been agreed by (a) constituent part of the UK, (b) English region and (c) parliamentary constituency to date; and how many of those arrangements relate to universal credit payments being made to claimants fortnightly as opposed to the monthly in arrears standard.

Damian Hinds: The information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Such information that is available for managed payments to landlords can be found in the Universal Credit statistics published here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Home Office

Forensic Science

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 November 2017, HCWS265, on toxicology, whether (a) Randox Testing Services and (b) Trimega are currently being commissioned by (i) Departments, (ii) local authorities and (iii) police forces to provide forensic services; and if she will set out those services.

Mr Nick Hurd: There is no centrally held information on possible commissioning by government departments from Randox Testing Services (RTS). The commissioning of forensic tests is an operational matter for local authorities.The Department for Education has informed all local authorities of the police investigation and asked them to take action to ensure that their safeguarding responsibilities are met. All police contracts with RTS have been suspended pending the ongoing investigation.Trimega went into liquidation in 2014 and ceased trading.

Acids and Chemicals: Sales

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to promote responsibility among business owners and shopkeepers regarding the sale of acid or household chemicals to customers they think might use such products to harm people.

Victoria Atkins: In July the Home Secretary announced an action plan to tackle the use of acid and other corrosives in violent attacks. This is based on four key strands: ensuring effective support for victims and survivors; effective policing; ensuring that relevant legislation is understood and consistently applied, and restricting access to acids and other harmful products.Progress is being made in delivering the action plan and as part of this we are working closely with retailers to agree additional action they can take to help restrict access and reduce the risk of products containing the most harmful corrosive substances being used in attacks.We have also been consulting on a legislative proposal which would prohibit the sale of products containing the most harmful corrosive substance to under 18s. The consultation closed on 9 December and we are currently considering the responses.

Home Office: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many members of staff have left her Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Victoria Atkins: The number of people who have left the Home Office since 1 January 2015 is in the table (see attached). All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

Home Office: ICT

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many members of staff in her Department were (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed for breaching the IT acceptable use policy between May 2010 and July 2014.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office only holds central disciplinary records dating back to April 2013, obtaining the information before this date could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.The number of members of staff who were (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed for breaching the IT acceptable use policy are in the attached table.



Table - PQ 118194
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12 KB)

Lead: Theft

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is making to encourage churches to install alarm equipment to deter lead theft; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: We recognise the cost and disruption that arises from these crimes and we would therefore support churches in taking all reasonable precautions to prevent them.While data published by the Office for National Statistics on 6 December 2017 shows that police recorded metal theft has fallen from nearly 63,000 in 2012/13 to under 13,000 in 2016/17, we will continue to work with the police and others through the police-led National Metal Theft Working Group, which includes representatives from the heritage sector, to see what more can be done to prevent all types of metal theft.

Intelligence Services

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions has she had with (a)  WhatsApp and (b) other technology companies on access by the security services to encrypted messages sent by a person of interest.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Government is in favour of strong encryption: it is critical to protect UK citizens from harm online, and billions of people use it every day for a range of services including banking, commerce and communications.However, like many powerful technologies, encrypted services are abused by a small minority of people. There is a particular problem with end-to-end encryption where certain providers have deliberately designed their systems so that even they cannot see the content of the message.The Secretary of State meets with a range of stakeholders to discuss various issues as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. However, we are committed to working with service providers to fulfil our collective responsibility to protect us from terrorists and those who commit serious crimes, while allowing providers to protect privacy. We are quite clear that it is essential for law enforcement to access content when there is a clear need and when properly warranted. The Government will continue to press for that ability.A mature dialogue between government and industry on this issue is crucial, and we expect them to live up to their responsibilities: working with law enforcement where there is a warrant authorised by a Secretary of State and approved by a senior judge under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016.

101 Calls

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make the non-emergency police phone number 101 free to call from landlines and mobiles.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to publicise the cost to the caller of the non-emergency police telephone number 101.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many calls were made to the non-emergency police phone number 101 in (a) the UK and (b) Wales in each of the last five years.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average duration of calls made to the non-emergency police phone number 101 in (a) the UK and (b) Wales in each of the last twelve months.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to callers of the non-emergency police phone number 101  in (a) the UK and (b) Wales in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: 101 is the single non-emergency number for contacting the police. It was launched in December 2011 to provide a memorable and accessible number for contact with the police. It is shared with Police Scotland and Police Service Northern Ireland.The number was rolled out nationally in 2011 with Vodafone as the single supplier for the service. Calls from mobile devices and landline telephones cost 15p regardless of call duration.

Children: Protection

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2017 to Question 116398, what assessment she has made of the effect of the reduction in neighbourhood policing on the ability of police forces to protect vulnerable children.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is for operationally independent Chief Constables to make decisions on the size, composition and deployment of the workforce in line with local needs and priorities.We recognise that it is crucial that the police have the right resources, capabilities and powers to keep the public safe. We have provided millions of pounds of extra investment through the Police Transformation Fund to transform policing to respond to changing crimes and threats including crimes against vulnerable children such as child sexual abuse.Through this fund we have awarded £1.9million to the College of Policing to transform policing’s approach to vulnerability, including developing a more comprehensive package of training for first responders in vulnerability so that they are better able to identify signs of vulnerability and provide support to victims. This package will also include the piloting of a licence to practise which will ensure that only those officers who are qualified to carry out specialist investigations in high risk areas like child protection, are able to do so.

Gun Sports: Disability

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received from people with disabilities who participate in recreational shooting to her Department's consultation on prohibiting .50 calibre and VZ58MARS firearms.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government’s consultation on new legislation on offensive and dangerous weapons closed on 9 December 2017. We received a number of responses in relation to disabilities and the use of firearms. We are considering the responses received and the Government will publish a response to the consultation in early 2018.

Slavery: Victims

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's timetable is for implementing the recommendations of the Human Trafficking Foundation's Trafficking Survivor Care Standards, published in June 2015, for shelters caring for victims of modern day slavery in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The recent announcements on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) reform indicate the Government’s commitment to markedly improve the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes the adoption of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Trafficking Survivor Care Standards as a minimum standard of victim support in all future contracts providing support to adult victims of modern slavery. The Government is working with key stakeholders to ensure the standards reflect current best practice and to look at options for monitoring compliance. These will then be incorporated into the retendering of the Victim Care Contract in due course.

Immigration

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much income has been generated from visa and immigration applications and appeals in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: Information on visa and immigration income is published annually in The Home Office Annual Report and Accounts. Refer to links below for the last 10 years figures.FY2016/17 - page 117: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/627853/ho_annual_report_and_accounts_2016_2017.pdfFY2015/16 - page 134:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539638/HO_AR_16_gov.pdfFY2014/15 – page 126https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441282/HO-AR15_web.pdfFY2013/14 – page 111https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/321446/ARA_web_enabled_18_June.pdfFY2012/13 – page 133https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210660/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_FINAL_updated_logo.pdfFY2011/12 – page 136https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/143619/annual-report-2011-12.pdfFY2010/11 – page 115-116https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/120048/annual-report-201011.pdfFY2009/10 – page 70-71https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/247694/0193.pdfFY2008/09 – page 58-59https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/250601/0466.pdfFY2007/08 – page 58-59https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/231192/0868.pdf

British Nationality: Applications

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) how many and (b) what percentage of citizenship applications her Department has refused in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: Information is published on the number and proportion of decisions to refuse British citizenship in the Home Office’s Immigration Statistics, July – September 2017, Citizenship table cz_01 available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017/list-of-tables#citizenship

Immigration: Applications

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) how many and (b) what percentage of permanent residence documents have been refused in each of the last 10 years; and what income was generated from those applications in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: Information on the number of decisions and refusals in each of the last 10 years relating to requests for documents certifying permanent residence (EEA nationals) and for permanent residence cards (non-EEA family members) is published in Home Office’s Immigration Statistics, July – September 2017, EEA table ee_02 available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017/list-of-tables#european-economic-area-eea The table below shows the number and percentage of refusals. Issue and refusal of permanent residence documentation to EEA nationals and non-EEA family membersYearDocuments certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards -  issuedDocuments certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards -  refusedDocuments certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards - invalid applicationRefusals as a proportion of total issues and refusals20077,6411,455416%20084,0801,095821%200911,4411,809714%201020,3064,116017%201121,1591,9995,2229%201215,2592,4379,56814%201322,47913,2042,39337%201419,7496,9353,02226%201518,0645,9843,22325%201665,06819,0647,72723%Source: Home Office, Migration Border Analysis.Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, table ee_02.Invalid applications are those rejected prior to substantive consideration.Z – Not applicable. Information on immigration income is published annually in The Home Office Annual Report and Accounts. Refer to links below for the last 10 years figures.FY2016/17 - page 117: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/627853/ho_annual_report_and_accounts_2016_2017.pdfFY2015/16 - page 134:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539638/HO_AR_16_gov.pdfFY2014/15 – page 126https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441282/HO-AR15_web.pdfFY2013/14 – page 111https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/321446/ARA_web_enabled_18_June.pdfFY2012/13 – page 133https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210660/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_FINAL_updated_logo.pdfFY2011/12 – page 136https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/143619/annual-report-2011-12.pdfFY2010/11 – page 115-116https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/120048/annual-report-201011.pdfFY2009/10 – page 70-71https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/247694/0193.pdfFY2008/09 – page 58-59https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/250601/0466.pdfFY2007/08 – page 58-59https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/231192/0868.pdf

Immigration: EU Nationals

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many permanent residence requests by non-UK EU citizens have been refused in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: Information on the number decisions to refuse requests made by EU nationals in each of the last 10 years for documents certifying permanent residence is published in Home Office’s Immigration Statistics, July – September 2017, EEA table ee_02 available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017/list-of-tables#european-economic-area-eea Issue and refusal of permanent residence documentation to EU nationals YearDocuments certifying permanent residence -  issuedDocuments certifying permanent residence -  refusedDocuments certifying permanent residence - invalid application20045,3121,000z20056,6921,447Z20065,433877520073,944657020081,758515220096,042776220109,4491,5380201111,6887273,13920128,5341,0616,206201314,4819,3111,84920149,7443,5161,58520159,5372,6491,645201653,15013,2286,190  Source: Home Office, Migration Border Analysis. Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, table ee_02. Invalid applications are those rejected prior to substantive consideration.Z – Not applicable.

Immigration Bail

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost of immigration bail was in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) to date in 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not hold the information you have requested in a reportable format. The information requested could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

Immigration Bail

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who absconded after being granted immigration bail were subsequently located in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) to date in 2017.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were on immigration bail absconded in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) to date in 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not hold the information you have requested in a reportable format.

Immigrants: Detainees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were held in immigration detention on 1 December 2017; and in which centres those people were being held.

Brandon Lewis: Data on people held in immigration detention, broken down by place of detention, are published as at the last day of each quarter. Figures for 31 December 2017 will be released on 22 February 2018. The latest published figures for 30 September 2017 may be found in table dt_12_q of the detention tables in the latest release of ‘Immigration Statistics, July to September 2017’, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662536/detention-jul-sep-2017-tables.ods

UK Visas and Immigration: Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Border Force officials were employed by UK Visas and Immigration on 1 December 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office regularly reviews its capacity plans and resources and redeploys staff where necessary to help meet and maintain service standards for individual services or routes. However to provide the number of officials usually employed full time by Border Force who were working for UK Visas and Immigration as at 1st December 2017 would require a manual check through resourcing databases, and would encounter disproportionate costs.

Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings the Minister of State for Immigration has had with Members since 1 January 2017.

Brandon Lewis: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 3 of the document, Technical Note: Citizens' Rights - Administrative Procedures in the UK, published on 7 November 2017, (a) how many user groups have been set up, (b) who the user groups report to, (c) what the timescale is to complete the implementation systems, (d) how much has been spent to date on the project and (e) what the total budget is for the project; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the voluntary application process set out in paragraph 4 of the document Technical Note: Citizens' Rights - Administrative Procedures in the UK published on 7 November 2017, what the proposed timescale is for the roll-out of the new process; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has established three stakeholder groups on EU Exit Immigration issues. There are two user groups comprising representatives of EU citizens from community, advice and support networks, and consular representatives from the EU27 and EFTA nations. There is also a cross-sectoral employers’ representative group. This engagement is supporting the development of the operational process and system design for the new EU Exit Settlement Scheme.We intend to launch the Scheme during the second half of 2018.To date the Home Office has received additional funding from HM Treasury of £60m over this financial year.

Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the Inter Ministerial Group on Drugs last met, and what the timetable is for the appointment of a Recovery Champion.

Victoria Atkins: The Government’s new Drug Strategy includes a commitment to establish a Home Secretary chaired Drug Strategy Board. The Board met for the first time on 13 December.The Recovery Champion will be appointed in due course.

Detention Centres: Ambulance Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times on average ambulances have been called to each  immigration detention centre in England in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not centrally record data on the number of times ambulances are called to individual immigration removal centres. This could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Police and Crime Commissioners on devolving further powers to local areas.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Secretary has regular meetings with Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) where a range of topics, including the extension of the PCC role, are discussed.Together with the Ministry of Justice, Home Office officials are exploring how PCCs and Mayors with PCC powers could play a greater role in the wider Criminal Justice system (CJS). The strengths that PCCs currently bring to policing – transparency, accountability and a direct local mandate – could be of real benefit to the wider CJS.

Slavery: Victims

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for implementing the recommendations of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Care Standards for all shelters in the UK caring for victims of modern day slavery; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The recent announcements on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) reform indicate the Government’s commitment to markedly improve the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes the adoption of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Trafficking Survivor Care Standards as a minimum standard of victim support in all future contracts providing support to adult victims of modern slavery. The Government is working with key stakeholders to ensure the standards reflect current best practice and to look at options for monitoring compliance. These will then be incorporated into the retendering of the Victim Care Contract in due course.

Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, many police forces in England and Wales use drones in response to (a) motorbike, (b) off-road bike and (c) moped related crimes.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of police forces using drones in response to (a) motorbike, (b) off-road bike and (c) moped related crimes.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of police forces operating drones. Deployment of drones is an operational decision for forces.In a study published on 30 November HMICFRS reported that 28 Police Forces use drones.

Security: International Cooperation

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans for the UK to continue to cooperate on justice and policing under the Schengen Agreement after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: We are proposing an ambitious strategic agreement with the EU that provides a comprehensive framework for our future security, law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation that delivers the capabilities our operational partners need to keep our people safe.Our proposals are set out in “Security, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice – a future partnership paper” which was published on 18 September, available on the gov.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-law-enforcement-and-criminal-justice-a-future-partnership-paper.

Visas: Lost Property

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of the loss of passports or other personal documents sent to the Department in support of visa applications were recorded in each of the last three years.

Brandon Lewis: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office.

Visas: Fees and Charges

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the fees charged to applicants is attributed to the cost of processing the application for each available type of visa.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes a comprehensive list of all Border, Immigration and Citizenship application fees and unit costs, the details of which can be found via the following link.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/606616/Unit_cost_table_2017.pdf

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Bell Pottinger Group

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations any Minister of her Department has received from Bell Pottinger on behalf of (a) Atos IT Services UK Limited, (b) British Horseracing Authority, (c) Centrica PLC, (d) Ernst & Young, (e) Heads of the Valleys Development Company Limited and (f) Waitrose Limited.

Matt Hancock: We have not received any such representations from Bell Pottinger.

Social Media: Codes of Practice

Andrew Percy: To ask the secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer 28 November to Question 113183, how her Department plans to monitor uptake and observance of the code of practice for social media companies provided for in the Digital Economy Act 2017.

Matt Hancock: The Internet Safety Strategy consultation closed on 7 December. We are now analysing the responses and we will be working with technology companies, charities and other interested stakeholders to develop the code of practice. We will consider plans to monitor uptake and observance of the code of practice ahead of its publication in 2018.

Museums and Galleries: Art Works

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that national collections and other recipients of public funding make digital images of works of art held in public collections and which are outside of copyright, free of charge to non-commercial causes and for educational purposes.

John Glen: As arm’s length bodies of government, national museums determine their own operational matters, including the decision to charge fees for images and reproductions. National museums provide free entry for all to their permanent collections as a condition of government Grant-in-aid funding, a policy that has been hugely successful in boosting museum visits. In addition, Museums invest significant amounts in maintaining comprehensive online collections portals displaying a wealth of free to access images and information about their collections. This particularly benefits audiences unable to visit museums in person, further extending the reach of our national museums. Museums may also licence their collections and images they produce for a variety of uses. Museums routinely supply images free of charge on request for a variety of educational and non-commercial purposes, but have the right to charge fees for certain re-uses of images they have produced. The fees are an important revenue source, allowing museums to recover costs associated with providing this comprehensive service and where applicable make a return on their investment.

Cultural Heritage: Wiltshire

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which (a) museums and (b) heritage organisations in Wiltshire has the Wiltshire Finds Liaison Officer had discussions with in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many cases under the Treasure Act 1996 have been reported (a) directly to the Coroner in the district in which they were found and (b) to the local Finds Liaison Officer; and if she will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many archaeological finds made by the public have been reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wiltshire in each of the last 20 years; and if she will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many finds have been reported as Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 in Wiltshire in each of the last 20 years; and if she will make a statement.

John Glen: The overwhelming majority of finds in England and Wales are reported directly to Finds Liaison Officers, though in a small number of cases they are reported directly to Coroners. The Coroner will normally direct the finder to the Finds Liaison Officer. In Northern Ireland, where the Portable Antiquities Scheme does not apply, finds are reported directly to the Coroner. Only individual Coroner’s officers will hold information on cases directly reported to them. The Treasure Act, which defines what finds are treasure came into force in 1997, and since then the following finds have been reported as treasure in Wiltshire: 1997 – 6,1998 – 9,1999 – 10, 2000 – 4, 2001 – 7, 2002 – 9, 2003 – 8 (PAS first started in Wiltshire), 2004 – 11, 2005 – 18, 2006 – 18, 2007 – 25, 2008 – 26, 2009 – 20, 2010 – 36, 2011 – 41, 2012 – 35, 2013 – 30, 2014 – 30, 2015 – 35 (source Treasure Annual Report 2015) , 2016 – 46 (source Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report 2016) Since the Portable Antiquities Scheme began in Wiltshire in 2003 the following finds have been reported in each year. 2003 - 107, 2004 - 1,234, 2005 - 878, 2006 - 1,533, 2007 - 1,555,2008 - 896, 2009 - 1,213, 2010 - 1,144, 2011 - 1,601, 2012 - 1,769, 2013 - 2,684, 2014 - 3,392, 2015 - 3,913, 2016 - 4,266, 2017 - 2,695 In the last 12 months the Wiltshire Finds Liaison Officer has had discussions with the following museums and heritage organisations in Wiltshire: Museums - Chippenham Museum, Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire MuseumHeritage organisations - Wessex Archaeology and Operation Nightingale In addition the Wiltshire Finds Liaison Officer has had discussions with two Wiltshire based archaeology projects, the PAStlands Project and the Teffont Archaeological Project.

Libraries Taskforce: Databases

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the libraries sector on the publication of the Libraries Taskforce dataset.

John Glen: I have discussed with the Chief Executive of the Libraries Taskforce and the Chief Executive of The Library and Information Association (CILIP) release of the Libraries Taskforce dataset. I have also discussed with the President of the Society of Chief Librarians the need for better data and evidence to help local authorities to improve their library service delivery.

Libraries Taskforce: Databases

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the full Libraries Taskforce data set before the end of January 2018.

John Glen: It is our intention to publish the dataset before the end of January 2018 and I have written separately to the Honourable member to advise him of our aim to publish before Christmas.

Creative Industries Council

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the industry members of the Creative Industries Council on the inclusion of representatives of trades unions on the Creative Industries Council.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 2 December 2016 to Question 55456, whether the current membership of the Creative Industries Council is reflective of the sector.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with trade unions on the inclusion of workforce representatives on the Creative Industries Council.

Matt Hancock: As stated in the answer to Question 55456, membership of the Creative Industries Council is drawn from a wide range of businesses and trade bodies. It is reviewed annually to ensure it remains relevant and reflective of the sector. As also stated in the previous answer, the review process is led by the Council’s industry co-Chair. Organisations and individuals interested in being involved in the Council’s work can do this through a range of council sub-groups, details of which can be found at www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk.

Department of Health

Sexual Offences: Greater London

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to survivors of sexual assault in London when services are over-subscribed.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Allocations for Sexual Assault Referral Centres have increased this year. This has enabled NHS England to increase the number of specialists working across the London Havens, specialist centres supporting survivors of sexual assault in the London area. This includes an increase in counselling and therapy team capacity, and the creation of social work liaison posts. Together with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, NHS England have been working on a Child House pilot. This is a new integrated health, social care and criminal justice service for child victims of sexual abuse in the north central London area. This service is expected to open in 2018. The pilot will evaluate whether the Child House model is effective in the London context and explore whether the model should be rolled out across the whole of London.

Department of Health: Bell Pottinger Group

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations any Minister of his Department has received from Bell Pottinger on behalf of (a) Atos IT Services UK Limited, (b) Centrica PLC and (c) Ernst & Young.

Mr Philip Dunne: We have no record of any such representations.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Public Health Functions) Order 2017

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department received from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on the draft Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Public Health Functions) Order 2017; and what response his Department made to those representations.

Steve Brine: Following a consultation conducted by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and its constituent local authorities in 2016, the Department had discussions with GMCA and partner organisations about the order that confers, rather than transfers, certain local authority public health functions on the GMCA, to be exercised concurrently with the constituent local authorities. In line with statutory requirements, the GMCA and constituent local authorities all provided written consent to the order.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111078, how many mental health staff, excluding support to ST&T staff, senior managers and managers, central functions and hotel, property and estates staff have been employed in the NHS in in (a) 2012-13; (b) 2013-14; (c) 2014-15; (d) 2015-16; and (e) 2016-17.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows full time equivalent figures for the specified mental health staff groups working in mental health and learning disability trusts in England from 31 July 2013 to 31 July 2017. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Specified staff working in the National Health Service at mental health and learning disability trusts or clinical commissioning groups as at 31 July each specified year (full time equivalent). July 2013July 2014July 2015July 2016July 2017130,209130,650130,639132,314133,497 Source: NHS Digital monthly HCHS workforce statistics

Mental Health Services: Young People

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to young people who are transitioning from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services?

Jackie Doyle-Price: Some young people need ongoing support into young adulthood, after they leave children and young people’s mental health services. This point of transition is an important stage for young people, and it is not always easy. That is why, in January 2015, NHS England published a Model Specification for Transitions from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, to support better transition planning and delivery by local providers. Transition from children and young people’s mental health services has also been included as one of 13 mandatory national indicators in the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme (2017/19), which offers financial incentives to local areas to encourage improved transition planning for children and young people. To address issues of transition, some areas have already adopted a mental health service which supports young people from ages 0-25. Phase two of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) thematic review of children’s and young people’s mental health services will help to identify examples of good practice and the enablers and barriers to high-quality care. This may include insights into how effectively mental health services meet the needs of young people moving on from children’s health and care services. Next year, we will draw on the findings of the CQC thematic review, and data from the CQUIN initiatives, to assess whether further action is required to improve the experience and outcomes of transition.

Eating Disorders: Medical Treatments

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training his Department provides to General Practitioners on the treatment of eating disorders.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Standards of medical education are overseen by the General Medical Council, which is an independent statutory body. For children and young people, NHS England’s Commissioning Guide for the Access and Waiting Time Standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder recognises that “primary care is capable of providing good outpatient support for children and young people with a manageable eating disorder. Where this happens, general practitioners and associated practitioners need to be appropriately trained and supported in both child mental health care as well as eating disorder treatment by the local community eating-disorder service for children and young people”. This document is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/eating-disorders/

Eating Disorders: Medical Treatments

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much of the funding allocated by NHS England to services for disorder services has been spent in the last 12 months; and which services received that funding.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We have interpreted this question to refer to funding allocated by NHS England for the commitment in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health to expand and improve community based eating disorder services for children and young people. The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health dashboard publishes spend for eating disorders. In 2016/17, this showed that, for children and young people, the total spend for eating disorders across all clinical commissioning groups was £40.5 million. The dashboard is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/taskforce/imp/mh-dashboard/

Offenders: Mental Illness

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to collect and publish information centrally on the number of people diagnosed with a mental health condition who receive a custodial sentence.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are currently no plans to collect and publish information centrally on the number of people diagnosed with a mental health condition who receive a custodial sentence. NHS England collects information about people in prison with a mental health condition as part of the Health and Justice Indicators of Performance (HJIP). The quarterly HJIP data is currently distributed and shared with health commissioners who share with providers and prison governors, but it is not published on the NHS England website.

Incontinence: Children

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will instruct NHS trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups to start compiling data on the numbers of children with incontinence problems.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are no plans to instruct National Health Service trust and clinical commissioning groups to collect data on the children with incontinence problems. However, as part of business planning for 2018/19, Public Health England is reviewing whether the new section dedicated to child and maternal health on their Fingertips digital platform would be a suitable place to make data about childhood continence available at a local level.

Eating Disorders: Waiting Lists

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for people seeking treatment for eating disorders.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England has introduced a new waiting time standard for children and young people’s (up to 19) treatment of eating disorders, setting an expectation that by 2020, 95% of those referred will start treatment within one week if the case is urgent and four weeks if the case is non-urgent. Data published in the Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder waiting times data set is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cyped-waiting-times/The data showed that: - 71.0% of patients started urgent treatment within one week in Q2 2017-18; and- 82.4% of patients started routine treatment within four weeks in Q2 2017-18. There are 70 newly established community eating disorders services being developed and recruitment to get the teams up to full capacity is well under way. This means at least 3,350 children and young people a year will receive swift, effective eating disorder treatment in the community — for many this will mean they will be treated earlier and no longer need to go into hospital. Further information is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2017/09/nhs-england-comments-on-ucl-and-national-childrens-bureau-report-on-young-peoples-depression/A pathway for adults with eating disorders, together with detailed implementation guidance for providers, will be developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence over 2017/18. The pathway will be fully informed by the available evidence and the views of experts.

Patient Choice Schemes

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of unsuccessful attempts made by (a) patients and (b) GPs when attempting to book an appointment at a hospital directly through the online choose and book system.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) replaced the choose and book system in June 2015. The NHS e-RS is designed to allow patients and healthcare professionals to select appointments with providers either online or by phone. An attempt to make a booking may be unsuccessful if there is no appointment for the required clinic or hospital service available on e-RS. If no appointment is available for a patient or general practitioner (GP) to book on e-RS, the referral is forwarded (via the Manage Your Referral application) or deferred (via the professional application) to the patient’s chosen provider to enable the provider to book the patient an appointment. The relevant provider is contacted informing them that a patient requires an appointment and the provider will then contact the patient in relation to an appointment. Information on unsuccessful appointment bookings by patients or GPs for the last 12 months is in the table. Unsuccessful bookings December 2016 - November 2017By Patient263,681By Referrer (GP)634,630By BMS Admin1708,7181Total1,852,781  Total successful bookings in same period12,538,460 Note: 1Bookings by “BMS Admin” are created when either another organisation (referrer or provider) attempts to book an appointment on the patient’s behalf or if a patient contacts the national Telephone Appointments Line and a contact centre operator attempts to book an appointment on the patient’s behalf.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what method his Department requires CCGs to show they have regard for NICE guidelines.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who is responsible for monitoring the legal duty of CCGs to have regard for NICE guidelines.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines provide authoritative, evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals on the most effective ways to treat and care for patients. They are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and are developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. As such, the Government expects National Health Service organisations to take them fully into account in the care and treatment of individual patients, but there is no explicit legal requirement on clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to have regard to them and there is no central process for monitoring CCG compliance with NICE guidelines.

Ankylosing Spondylitis: Health Services

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of support offered to patients diagnosed with Spondyloarthritis.

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with Spondyloarthritis in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: Information on diagnosed cases of spondyloarthritis is not collected. The term spondyloarthritis collectively refers to conditions such as psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, enteropathic arthritis, and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis. In February 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published the best practice guideline Spondyloarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management. The guideline sets out a range of recommendations for clinicians and NHS services, including around the provision of information and support that patients may benefit from, such as: advice about symptoms and self-management; contact details for local and national support organisations; and, information about employment rights and ability to work. The guideline can be found at the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng65/resources/spondyloarthritis-in-over-16s-diagnosis-and-management-pdf-1837575441349

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the level of funding allocated by his Department to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Investment in mental health is increasing, and being spent and this Government has prioritised mental health for children and young people. We are making an additional £1.4 billion available over 2015/16 – 2019/20 which is being used to expand and improve mental health services for children and young people. The recently published Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper on 4 December 2017 contains proposals to further increase early intervention and support for children and young people experiencing or at risk of mental health problems. The proposals as set out in the Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health would cost £215 million over the next three years towards the creation of Mental Health Support Teams, piloting a four week waiting time standard and rolling out mental health first aid training to primary schools. We will make funding available to fund the full cost of the final proposals. We will also provide up to £15-20 million each year from 2019 to cover costs of training Designated Senior Leads in schools and colleges, until all schools and colleges have had the chance to train a lead (we expect total funding to be up to £95 million).

General Practitioners: Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase capacity in general practice in (a) North Cornwall and (b) Cornwall.

Steve Brine: The General Practice Forward View set out a package of investment in general practice, including reforms to increase capacity, such as recruitment and retention initiatives, extended access and the Time for Care programme. By 2020, the Government has committed to 5,000 additional doctors in general practice and 5,000 other staff in general practice; and by March 2019 everyone having improved access to general practitioner services, including sufficient routine appointments at evenings and weekends to meet locally determined demand. Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the Devon CCGs that it borders are working collaboratively with NHS England, ensuring that CCG boundaries are not a barrier to improving patient care and providing a stable and sustainable platform for primary care. Local sharing of learning is taking place from progressive practices, such as St Austell Healthcare, where work at scale has seen the introduction of innovations such as the split of sites for on-the-day and ongoing care, access to a wider range of support staff and space for outpatient appointments. NHS England is also continuing to support projects through the Estates and Technology Transformation Fund (ETTF) to increase physical capacity and efficiency. Schemes include the expansion of Launceston Medical Centre in North Cornwall. A third party developer is progressing to an exchange on a strip of land behind the surgery for early in the new year, after which the practice will be able to take forward plans for an extension to the surgery (part-funded by a grant from the ETTF). There is a national NHS England scheme to recruit clinical pharmacists to general practice, so patients can get expert advice on medications. Five practices in the Truro area are among practices to benefit.

Pupils: Diabetes

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice his Department has given to the Department for Education on the development of policies in schools to support pupils with Type 1 diabetes.

Steve Brine: The Department and its arm’s length bodies maintain a continuous dialogue with colleagues across government on a range of issues, including how best to meet the health needs of schoolchildren. It is important that children with medical conditions such as diabetes are supported appropriately. Governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England work within the guidance agreed between Department of Health and Department for Education for schools in 2014 (and reviewed since) on their responsibilities for supporting children and young people in school who have a health condition, including managing their access to medicines, and other adjustments necessary to maintain their health and wellbeing while at school. This includes supporting children with diabetes.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of surgically implanted glucose sensors as a method for controlling Type 1 diabetes.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not undertaken an evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of surgically implanted glucose sensors. Treatments may be brought into routine use in the National Health Service after their efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness have been appropriately demonstrated. NICE is responsible for assessing new technologies and interventional procedures, as well as producing guidelines for best practice of treatment and care.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage Clinical Commissioning Groups to recommend the prescription of surgically implanted glucose sensors for the management of Type 1 diabetes.

Steve Brine: Surgically implanted glucose sensors are not currently available for prescribing in primary care. To be available for prescribing, a medical device must be listed in Part IX of the England and Wales Drug Tariff. Any device made available for prescribing to patients through listing in Part IX is required to meet set criteria, namely that the product is safe and of good quality, it is appropriate for general practice and, if relevant, non-medical prescribing, and it is cost effective. The NHS Business Services Authority carries out the assessment of Part IX applications by manufacturers on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health, for prescribing at National Health Service expense by an appropriate practitioner. However, the listing of a medical device in the Drug Tariff should not be interpreted as a recommendation to prescribe a particular product. Within its financial constraints, the NHS is committed to providing access to new drugs and medical technologies. Ultimately it is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on the efficacy of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices for people with Type 1 diabetes.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has not commissioned any research on the efficacy of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices for people with Type 1 diabetes. The Department’s NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including diabetes; it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Diabetes: Medical Treatments

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the cost of treatment for (a) comas and (b) other severe episodes of Type 1 diabetes and the cost of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices.

Steve Brine: There is no comparative assessment on the cost of treatment for either comas or other severe episodes of Type 1 diabetes, or on the cost of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices. Treatments may be brought into routine use in the National Health Service after their cost-effectiveness has been appropriately demonstrated. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is responsible for assessing new technologies and interventional procedures.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment he has made of the number of full-time equivalent mental health staff employed in the NHS in (a) 2010 and (b) 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The number of National Health Service staff (full-time equivalent) working in mental health and learning disability trusts from July 2013 to July 2017 increased by a little over 4,300. Comparisons with 2010 were not done as primary care trusts also delivered some mental health services before 2013, and it is not possible to separately identify all staff in primary care trusts providing this service.

Mental Illness: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of people identified as having experienced child abuse who are subsequently diagnosed with a mental health condition as a young person or adult.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not held centrally.

Health: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish further details on the Health Advanced Research Programme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Health Advanced Research Programme is being developed in collaboration with health charities, who are exploring the concept and potential structure to shape the future of the programme. The Government is taking forward, in partnership with the life sciences sector, programmes in genomics and digital imaging/ Artificial Intelligence to drive health research and this is funded by the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Surrogate Motherhood: Lone Parents

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the break after the first consultation period on the non-urgent remedial order to allow a single person to apply for a parental order which transfers legal parenthood after a surrogacy arrangement.

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the first and second consultation periods on the non-urgent remedial order to allow a single person to apply for a parental order which transfers legal parenthood after a surrogacy arrangement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Schedule 2 to the Human Rights Act requires that a draft of the remedial order with the required information is laid before Parliament for 60 days at two separate stages before the final draft is then approved by both Houses of Parliament. There is no set period of time for the Government to respond to the representations supplied by the Joint Committee of Human Rights after the first 60 sitting days. The response will depend on the range and complexity of the representations to be considered and the changes that may be required in response. We currently estimate that the whole process should be completed before the summer recess in 2018.

Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2017 to Question 117407, on Health Services: Children and Young People, in what format that information is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England has conducted a survey to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on current provision, therefore the information held is on the proportion of CCGs that have a crisis intervention team. NHS England does not routinely audit local CCG commissioned services and conducted a one-off voluntary survey to CCGs on current provision, from which the data collected is qualitative and incomplete, therefore we can't specify exact numbers or proportions of services.

National Institute of Health Research

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the funding allocated by the National Institute of Health Research to each region for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will set out the percentage of funds distributed through the National Institute for Health Research broken down by region in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Most (88.6%) National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funding is awarded to organisations that are geographically based, but some funding is awarded to national bodies and organisations (11.4 %). The Department does not hold information on a geographical basis about how this funding is then distributed. The figures provided in the table below shows gross NIHR spend which includes contributions from the devolved administrations and other bodies to NIHR funded research programmes. Net spend was £1,035.7 million. NIHR Funding of Research by Region 2016-17 RegionRegional Total £ millionPercentageEast Midlands49.44.6%East of England84.97.9%London311.129.1%North East46.04.3%North West78.37.3%South East139.113.0%South West66.96.3%West Midlands74.47.0%Yorkshire and Humber76.97.2% Scotland14.91.4%Wales3.90.4%Northern Ireland2.80.3% National121.611.4% Grand Total1,070.3100.0%

Family Nurse Partnership Programme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of mothers who will enrol on the Family Nurse Partnership; and how much funding has been allocated by his Department to the Family Nurse Partnership, for each year of the current Parliament.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Commissioning of the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme is a local government responsibility. Resources were transferred from National Health Service to local authorities in October 2015 under the ‘Public Health grant - Healthy Child Programme 0-5 allocation’. Public Health England manages the licence for the FNP programme in England on behalf of the Secretary of State. No estimate has been made on the number of mothers who will enrol on the FNP programme until the end of the current financial year. As part of the Public Health Grant decisions on commissioning of the FNP programme are for individual local authorities based on their assessment of local needs and prioritisation; as such there will be variation. The funding allocation for the FNP forms part of the overall zero to five spend and is not reported separately.

General Practitioners: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to support GP services in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry.

Steve Brine: NHS England is working with all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across the West Midlands to help deliver the GP Forward View commitments in terms of recruitment and retention of general practitioners (GPs), as well as delivering improved access for patients across the region. The Coventry and Rugby CCG is working on implementing the GP Forward View across Coventry in line with NHS England guidance. It has submitted its workforce plan, which includes working with local practices to support the development of workforce, upskilling existing staff, and recruiting new staff. The CCG is also exploring opportunities for funding through the Estates and Technology Transformation Fund, to support IT and premises improvements.

Emergency Calls: Suicide

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of 999 calls received each year from or concerning a person who is feeling suicidal.

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of 999 calls received from or concerning a person who is feeling suicidal are responded to by (a) an ambulance, (b) the police, (c) the fire brigade and (d) other emergency services.

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance is issued to 999 call centre staff on how to respond to callers who are feeling suicidal.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Data is not collected centrally. Guidance for 999 call handlers on how to respond to callers who are feeling suicidal is developed and delivered by each local ambulance trust, informed by the Mental Health Care Crisis Concordat. This sets out the principles and good practice that should be followed by health staff, police officers and approved mental health professionals when working together to help people in a mental health crisis.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Suicide

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of people presenting at A&E feeling suicidal who are (a) given treatment, (b) referred to another service and (c) given no treatment or referral.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Data on the number and proportion of people presenting at accident and emergency (A&E) feeling suicidal who are given treatment, referred to another service and given no treatment or referral is not collected centrally. Through their A&E Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital are able to identify patients who are recorded for ‘self-harm’ and patients diagnosed as having ‘psychiatric conditions’, but these are not specific to ‘suicidal’. Through the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, we are committed to roll-out liaison mental health teams in general hospitals by 2020/21 with 50% of them meeting the core 24 standard. This means that teams of specially trained mental health professionals will be able to support people who present at emergency departments with mental health issues, which would include providing assessments and referring on to specialist mental health services or community teams.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government's mandate to NHS England for 2017-18, what progress NHS England has made on meeting (a) A&E and (b) Referral-to-Treatment waiting time targets.

Mr Philip Dunne: In assessing NHS England’s performance for 2016-17, the Secretary of State’s annual assessment laid in Parliament in July 2017 acknowledged that continued growth in demand has put pressure on patient access and that the National Health Service is not meeting core standards set out in the NHS Constitution. The assessment makes clear that this remains a key priority for Government and this is reflected in the mandate for 2017-18.

Maternity Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many maternity units in England turned away an expectant mother who was in labour since 1 January 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The requested information on the number of expectant mothers who were in labour and turned away from maternity units in England since 1 January 2017 is not collected centrally. In some cases, midwives may advise an expectant mother in early labour that it would be in her best interest to return home until the labour progresses further. There are occasions when a unit may be temporarily closed or cannot safely accept more women into their care. It is important of course, in such cases, that there are systems and guidelines in place to ensure pregnant women have access to the next closest maternity unit and the type of care they have chosen, including midwifery-led care.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) staff in his Department held with (i) professional bodies, (ii) other stakeholders on the decision by NHS England not to publish the number of NHS hospitals that issue operational pressures escalation levels alerts; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and his Ministers meet with a variety of stakeholders on a regular basis, as do staff in the Department. The Operational Pressures Escalation Level framework is a useful tool that may be used locally to monitor operational pressures. NHS England, however, uses a wider and more in depth number of data sources through winter to help monitor performance and ensure appropriate responses to specific pressures. These include information on bed availability and occupancy, cancelled operations, accident and emergency waits, ambulance performance and delayed transfers of care. In addition, winter daily situation reports are also collected from acute trusts across the country each weekday and indicate where there are any winter pressures. These are published on a weekly basis. Winter daily situation reports are published by NHS England and can accessed here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/winter-daily-sitrep-2017-18-data/

Health Services: Contracts

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2017 to Question 113604, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of minimum waiting times on (a) patient safety (b) patient choice and (c) waiting times.

Mr Philip Dunne: There has been no such assessment. How trusts schedule patient appointments is for local determination but national guidance and support is available from NHS England and NHS Improvement to support trusts to meet maximum waiting times standards. Clinical priority is the main determinant of when patients should be treated followed by the chronological order of when they were added to the waiting list. Clinicians should make decisions about patients’ treatment and patients should not experience undue delay at any stage of their referral, diagnosis or treatment.

Social Services: Migrant Workers

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the availability of non-UK EU nationals to work in the social care sector.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government hugely values the contribution of all the European Union staff working across health and social care. The Government is committed to ensuring a clear pathway to permanent residency for these EU citizens. The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across social care, and the Secretary of State has made it clear that there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high quality services on which the public rely following the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. We are aware that our challenge, working alongside stakeholders in the adult social care sector, is to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet increasing demand, with the right skills, knowledge and values to deliver quality, compassionate care. That is why we have set out a plan to attract and retain talented staff, backed by an additional £2 billion investment in the sector over the next three years and a commitment to publishing a Green Paper by summer 2018, setting out proposals for reform to ensure sustainability in social care in the long term.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fireworks: Sales

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the merits of lowering the net explosive content a person can obtain when purchasing fireworks without a licence; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Government has no plans to make such an assessment. Certain classes of fireworks (display fireworks) can only be supplied to a person with specialist knowledge. Experience has shown that the current regulations strike the right balance between the enjoyment of fireworks by the public and restricting the sale of fireworks for public safety reasons.

Industry: Urban Areas

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what benefits he plans to accrue to town economies as a result of implementing the Industrial Strategy.

Claire Perry: The Government’s ambitious, modern Industrial Strategy sets out a long term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. The Government is committed to supporting the regeneration of our towns across the country. The Government is currently working with a range of local partners to explore new approaches, including on a pilot Town Deal with Grimsby. This approach is based on a very strong private-public sector partnership. The Industrial Strategy also recognises the importance of infrastructure investment, particularly in transport, to improve productivity. The Transforming Cities Fund will provide £1.7bn to support investment programmes targeted at improving connectivity between cities and their neighbouring towns.

Food: Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has made of available evidence on the efficiency of disposing food waste by (a) anaerobic digestion and (b) incineration.

Richard Harrington: Government supports Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and incineration of waste to produce Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as they are both efficient renewable technologies that offer significant carbon savings. Both AD and incineration to produce CHP act as a form of waste management, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and so reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We have not undertaken a comparative assessment as food waste is more suited to anaerobic digestion than incineration processes. It has a high moisture content which needs to be removed by heat before it will burn. Incineration technologies will tend to use other fuels such as municipal solid waste.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will rule out co-firing and conversion as an abatement option in the coal phaseout.

Richard Harrington: We are leading the world by ending unabated coal generation in Great Britain by 2025. The Department consulted on proposals on ending unabated coal generation last year and we will soon be publishing our detailed government response.The positive example we are setting to the world will yield significant benefits and help put the world on track to meet the ambition agreed at Paris in 2015.

Housing: Energy

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to ensure that all homes meet efficiency band C by 2035?

Claire Perry: The Clean Growth Strategy, published recently, sets out Government’s aspiration that as many homes as possible will be upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. In the Clean Growth Strategy, published in October this year, we set out a number of policies and proposals that will help us make progress against this aspiration, including: 1. Investing around £3.6 billion to upgrade around a million homes through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). In addition, we will extend support for home energy efficiency beyond the current commitment to fund ECO to 2022 and out to 2028 with funding at least at current ECO levels. 2. Developing a long term trajectory to improve the energy performance standards of privately rented homes, with the aim of upgrading as many as possible to EPC Band C by 2030 where practical, cost-effective and affordable 3. Consulting on equivalent standards for social housing over this period 4. Following the outcome of the independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety, and subject to its conclusions, we will consult on strengthening energy performance standards for new and existing homes under Building Regulations, including futureproofing new homes for low carbon heating systems, 5. Seeking evidence on building a market for energy efficiency, including additional measures to improve energy performance of owner occupied homes through a Call for Evidence published alongside the Clean Growth Strategy. This Call for Evidence is currently open and closes on 9 January 2018.

Small Businesses: North West

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to SMEs in the North West ahead of the UK leaving the EU.

Margot James: The Northern Powerhouse is at the core of our work to spread growth across the entire country, including the North West and a key aspect of our national Industrial Strategy. We are determined to boost business growth and strengthen levels of trade and investment to ensure the North is well placed to take advantage of global business opportunities, both now and when we leave the European Union. The North West has seen 93,300 new SMEs created since 2010. In February this year, we launched the £400 million Northern Powerhouse Fund for small businesses across the North, ensuring they have access to the finance they need to start-up and grow. This fund has now made 62 investments/loans into businesses in the North West totalling £10.5m. That is over half of that invested across the whole of the Northern Powerhouse. Over the last three years, Government has invested and funded the establishment of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area) including a network of Growth Hubs across the North West, which are providing businesses with access to tailored local advice and support to help them grow.Of these, Growth Hubs in the North West have supported over 25,793 businesses and helped 2,680 individuals to start a new business. For businesses in Lancashire, this support is provided by Boost Business Lancashire Growth Hub which acts as the first port of call for businesses seeking advice and support locally. Since its launch in November 2013, Boost has engaged and supported 5,294 businesses and helped 409 individuals to start up a new business. Over the past few years, we have also invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund in the North West for projects to boost local economies .The Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership have now received over £320m as part of their Local Growth Funding to give businesses the support and opportunities they need and drive economic growth.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Margot James: Since April 1 2017, when data is available for BEIS, 280 members of staff have left the Department. The nationalities of staff that leave is not collated and to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

UK Trade with EU

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary regarding the Border Force preparations being made to minimise the disruption to small business supply chains after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: I have regular discussions with my colleagues at the Home Office on a wide range of topics of mutual interest. Although the changes business will face - as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU - are subject to negotiations with our EU partners, we want to achieve the best possible outcome and the strongest possible partnership - one that works for UK businesses. We already have highly efficient processes for freight arriving from the rest of the world – the vast majority of customs declarations in the UK are submitted electronically and are cleared rapidly. However, we are committed to minimising disruption and giving as much certainty as possible. That’s why the Government is pursuing a time-limited implementation period to allow business the time they need to adapt to new arrangements.

Raw Materials

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7669, what steps he is taking to ensure continued co-operation with the European Commission to address supply risks to the availability of (a) helium and (b) other materials on the European Commission's Critical Raw Materials list in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: We recognise the importance of helium and other raw materials to UK supply chains, and support key UK industrial sectors manage their critical resource risks. The UK’s future trade arrangements are currently being developed as part of the UK’s EU Exit negotiations.

Helium

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support geological research into the discovery of new sources of helium.

Joseph Johnson: We appreciate that helium is a key resource for some businesses and science laboratories and is critical for a number of products in sectors like health and defence. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy funds the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) over £400m per year. NERC is the UK's main agency for funding and managing research, training and knowledge exchange in atmospheric, Earth, biological, terrestrial and aquatic science. In keeping with the Haldane principle, decisions on specific research priorities and funding are taken by the Research Councils based on advice from the research community through peer review. NERC welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of geological research and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance.

Helium: Prices

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of changes in the cost of the price of liquid helium in the UK in the last 10 years.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electricity: Prices

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which stakeholders his Department has held discussions with on national fixed pricing for electricity distribution; when the meetings took place, and if he will publish details of those discussions.

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Scottish Government on proposals for a policy of national fixed pricing on energy distribution in the last 12 months.

Margot James: The Government undertakes a triennial review of the Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme. As part of the last review which completed in July 2016, we concluded that there was not a good case for a national fixed tariff for distribution as the move away from cost reflective charging risked increasing overall network costs for consumers across GB. Ofgem’s assessment of regional differences in network charges, which was published in October 2015, concluded that there was no compelling case from a regulatory perspective for a national fixed tariff. Ofgem found that it would have left 16 million households worse off, with only 11 million benefitting.

Electricity: Prices

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to ensure that UK consumers can benefit from the cheapest sources of electricity.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coal Fired Power Stations

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will rule out co-firing and conversion as an abatement option in the phase-out of coal-fired power stations.

Richard Harrington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Leeds North West today to Question 117909.

Small Businesses

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to standardise business support for small businesses by (a) local enterprise partnerships and (b) local authorities.

Margot James: Supporting small businesses is central to our Industrial Strategy. We want to see the private sector flourish across the country—where innovative ideas can be taken from theory to practice and where businesses have the tools and resources they need to start-up and grow. Earlier this year, we launched the £400 million Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund for SMEs and have already rolled out finance to over 100 businesses.Small businesses in England can access business support through GOV.UK, the National Business Support Helpline and Growth Hubs. Over the last three year, Government has supported and invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership Area), providing businesses with tailored advice and support. To date, Growth Hubs have engaged with over 570,000 businesses, and helped almost 11,400 individuals to start a business.Businesses in Newcastle Upon Tyne Central have been served by the North East Growth Hub since its launch in 2016. To date, it has engaged with over 7,311 businesses, helped 728 individuals to start a business and delivered 117 intensive diagnostic interventions. Within the Industrial Strategy White Paper, the Government has just announced that it will continue to invest in Growth Hubs and build on the existing programmes.

Minimum Wage

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) businesses comply with National Minimum Wage legislation and (b) people who have been paid less than they are entitled to receive the money.

Margot James: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for ensuring that employers comply with National Minimum Wage (NMW) regulations. The Government has increased its enforcement budget to £25.3 million for 2017/18, up from £13.2 million in 2015/16.HMRC conducts risk-based enforcement in sectors or areas where there is perceived to be a higher risk of workers not getting paid the legal minimum wage. It also considers every worker complaint received and has set up a dedicated team focused on tackling the most serious cases of wilful non-compliance.Since HMRC began enforcing the minimum wage in April 1999, it has identified almost £79 million in arrears. In 2016/17, HMRC took action against 1,134 businesses, identifying £10.9 million for 98,000 workers who had been illegally underpaid.The Government has increased the deterrence against non-compliance, increasing penalties from 100% to 200% of the arrears owed, up to £20,000 maximum per worker and revising the naming criteria, with over 1,500 non-compliant employers named to date.In January, the Government appointed Sir David Metcalfe as the first Director of Labour Market Enforcement. He is responsible for producing an annual strategy setting the strategic direction of the three existing labour market enforcement bodies, HMRC’s NMW team, to ensure that enforcement efforts are coordinated and targeted.

Climate Change

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for his Department to begin the process of negotiating new climate change commitments with the UN; and how the devolved administrations will be engaged in those discussions.

Claire Perry: The UK is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) individually as well as through the EU and we are bound by all the obligations of the Paris Agreement under international law. This includes the requirement to prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions. The UK is firmly committed to the Paris Agreement and to our emissions reduction and climate finance efforts under it. We have demonstrated our commitment domestically – we were the first country to introduce legally binding emissions reduction targets through the Climate Change Act, and we have recently published our highly praised Clean Growth Strategy, which is ambitious and robust in setting out how we will decarbonise the UK economy through the 2020s. Leaving the EU will not affect our statutory commitments under our own domestic Climate Change Act and indeed our domestic binding emissions reduction targets are more ambitious than those set by EU legislation. Our Clean Growth Strategy includes the commitment that our future approach to tackling climate change is at least as ambitious as the current schemes we have in place. The Devolved Administrations were consulted in the formulation of many of the policies in the Clean Growth Strategy and in the development of EU legislation. We will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations as we develop and implement the policies and proposals that we have set out.

Ministry of Defence

Babcock International: Redundancy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department plans to offer to Babcock employees at Rosyth dockyard who are to be made redundant as a result of the completion of work on the UK’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier programme.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence will remain closely engaged with Babcock throughout the consultation period to understand the impact of the potential reductions. Support to those facing redundancy will be provided by the Department for Work and Pensions Rapid Response service through the Scottish Government's Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2017 to Question 116535, on Armed Forces: Compensation, what the considerations are which his Department makes before a payment will be made.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As part of the Joint Personnel Administration system and payment processes, requests for payment are subject to a number of automatic checks, such as confirming the Service number is correct or the minimum payment amount has not been breached. Once a payment has been made as a result of a final appeal, the Ministry of Defence has no further responsibility in the matter.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2017 to Question 116535, on Armed Forces: Compensation, what the exceptional circumstances are in which his Department delays payments in the case of an appeal before the Army Board.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2017 to Question 116535, on Armed Forces: Compensation, for what reasons his Department cannot delay payment in the case of an uncompleted appeal.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Financial payments arising from the determination of an Army Board Appeal are payable from the point at which the Appeal Body's decision is published, concluding the Service Complaint's process. If an individual is unhappy with the determination they can refer it to the Service Complaints Ombudsman but this would not delay payment.A delay to payment could occur where for example, the Department is waiting for the recipients account details or the amount has been queried by the complainant. Once any outstanding matters have been resolved in relation to those elements the Department is responsible for, the payment will be made without delay.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using hybrid air vehicles in the UK military.

Harriett Baldwin: At present the Ministry of Defence has no defined military requirement for a Hybrid Air Vehicle capability. We continue to monitor the development of a number of technologies that may offer capabilities of interest in the future, including manned, unmanned and hybrid platforms.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for UK policy on publishing radar tracking data of the US Government's decision to declassify and publish such data on a Syrian aircraft used in a chemical weapon attack against civilians in April 2017.

Mark Lancaster: Policy on use and publication of data that the US may hold is a matter for them.

Submarines: Decommissioning

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the ages of the submarines awaiting recycling in Devonport and Rosyth are.

Harriett Baldwin: The submarines awaiting recycling in Devonport and Rosyth are aged between 30 years and 54 years old.

Submarines: Decommissioning

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding he has allocated to the submarine recycling demonstrator project in each of the next three years.

Harriett Baldwin: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Armed Forces: Funerals

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2017 to Question 116297 when he plans to publish the amended drill manual (a) online and (b) in hard copy; and where hard copies will be made available.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Army plans to publish an Army Briefing Note highlighting the amendments to the drill manual before Christmas. This will draw the attention of all units to the amended detail and provide a link to the internal on-line published version. The amended manual is being printed, and will be sent to units in early 2018.

Hyde Park Barracks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has reversed its decision to sell Hyde Park Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has any plans (a) to sell Hyde Park barracks and (b) to relocate the Household Cavalry and the location for state ceremonial and public duties in London.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence is investigating how best to deliver State Ceremonial and Public Duties in London. We are currently conducting detailed assessment studies to determine the best way forward.

Military Bases

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of potential savings to his Department from (a) the better defence estate strategy and (b) the potential sale of Hyde Park Barracks.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Defence Estate Optimisation Programme which is delivering the Better Defence Estate Strategy is a 25-year programme which is forecast to save £140 million in running costs over ten years, rising to nearly £3 billion by 2040.The Ministry of Defence is investigating how best to deliver State Ceremonial and Public Duties in London. We are currently conducting detailed assessment studies to determine the best way forward.

Hyde Park Barracks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officers and (b) soldiers are currently based at Hyde Park Barracks.

Mark Lancaster: At present, there are 21 officers and 268 soldiers based at Hyde Park Barracks. This includes personnel that are permanently based at Hyde Park Barracks for duty purposes, but does not include personnel that reside at Hyde Park Barracks but work elsewhere.Figures are single service estimates and not produced by official statistics.

Armed Forces: Staff

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel of visiting forces are based in the UK; what nations those forces come from; and what the locations are of visiting units.

Mark Lancaster: It will take some time to gather the information required to answer the hon. Member's question.I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence: Radioactive Materials

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, at which sites managed by his Department radioactive materials are stored, and at which such sites radioactive materials were previously stored during the last 10 years.

Harriett Baldwin: Radioactive materials are used in a wide range of equipment (e.g. in small quantities for radioluminescent light sources). Therefore this information is not held centrally, it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Buildings

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) location is and (b) running costs are for each building used by his Department., excluding operational bases.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: A list of where Ministry of Defence buildings are located is attached.The running cost for each building used by the Ministry of Defence is not held centrally.



118336 - MOD Building Locations
(Word Document, 57.58 KB)

Military Exercises

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Defence of 28 November 2017, House of Lords Official Report, Column 663, if he will list the training and exercise events scheduled to take place in the 2017-18 financial year that have been cancelled.

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110567, on Armed Forces: Training, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Defence of 28 November 2017, House of Lords Official Report, column 663, whether his Department's plans for the units and personnel listed to conduct cold weather training in Norway have changed since 7 November 2017.

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110568, on Armed Forces: Training, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Defence of 28 November 2017, House of Lords Official Report, column 663, whether his Department's plans for the units and personnel listed to participate in Exercise Trident Juncture 2018 have changed since 7 November 2017.

Mark Lancaster: The following exercises will not take place in Financial Year 2017-18: Exercise Black Horse;Exercise Curry Trail;Exercise Orange Marauder;Exercise Steel Sabre;Exercise Southwest Sword;Commando Strike;Royal Marines Reserve Exercises Commando Phoenix and Hare Spring (Norway).  As planning has matured, there have been some changes to the number of Royal Marines personnel planned to deploy to Norway since question 110567 was answered on 7 November 2017. The current plans are as follows:  UnitPersonnel numbers45 Commando Royal Marines110Commando Logistics Regiment Royal Marines10030 Commando IX Group Royal Marines10Queen’s Dragoon Guards, 1 Royal Irish, Queen's Royal Hussars35Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Brigade, 19 Regiment Royal Artillery, 1 YORKS, Light Dragoons10Total265  Since question 110568 was answered on 7 November 2017, an additional Royal Marines Company, comprising approximately 100 personnel, is now planned to participate in Exercise Trident Juncture 2018.

Military Bases

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who in the government holds the contracts for the  provision of officers’ and sergeants’ messes; and what arrangements are in place for end-users to access those contracts.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The contracts for the provision of Officers' and Sergeants' messes and related services are held by a number of individuals across the Department. Some of the contracts are held centrally within our broader soft facilities management contracts and others are held locally by the individual establishments. Local arrangements are in place for end-users to access contracts by request.

Army

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) establishment and (b) current strength is of the (i) Grenadier Guards, (ii) Coldstream Guards, (iii) Scots Guards, (iv) Welsh Guards and (v) Irish Guards.

Mark Lancaster: The figures provided below show the establishment and current strength of the infantry cap badge personnel at regimental duty, including the public duties incremental companies, of the listed regiments as at 1 October: RegimentEstablishmentStrengthGrenadier Guards594540Coldstream Guards594500Scots Guards699510Welsh Guards505370Irish Guards501410 Notes:The establishment data is a single service estimate and reflects the role of the units as under Army 2020.Current strengths have been provided by Defence Statistics and have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.Regimental duty is defined as personnel serving in a regimental unit, for example, in the 1st Battalion.Establishment and strength data do not include attached personnel from other arms and corps, nor do they include personnel at extra regimental employment in posts away from their parent unit.

Army: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he next plans to meet with representatives of Capita; and what assessment he has made of the performance of Capita under their contract for  Army recruiting.

Mark Lancaster: I can assure my right hon. Friend that I am closely monitoring the Army and Capita Recruiting Partnering Project, and plan to meet with Capita in the New Year.A buoyant labour market with record employment rates, combined with significant demographic changes in society, represent a challenge to Army recruitment and retention. The Army needs to continuously adapt to this and is taking action to do so. It has been working closely with Capita on a recruitment improvement plan which is now being implemented. Initial signs are promising and applications have increased this year.The Ministry of Defence now expects Capita to deliver on improvements in converting these applicants to enlistees and will be monitoring progress closely in the coming months, including delivery of the new Defence Recruiting system.

Army

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Regiments of the British Army have been disbanded since 1960; and to which formations their successor Regiments belong.

Mark Lancaster: The Army’s Historical Branch holds the requested information for the Household Cavalry, The Royal Armoured Corps and the Infantry and this is set out in the attached. Information on the rest of the Army is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.



118704 - Disbanded British Army Regiments
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Department for Communities and Local Government

Shared Ownership

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is adequate private investment in shared ownership accommodation.

Alok Sharma: We believe that Shared Ownership has an important role to play as part of a diverse and thriving housing market and since 2010 around 54,000 new Shared Ownership homes have been delivered.We continue to work with the sector and lenders to ensure that Shared Ownership continues to be attractive to investment and have made a number of changes to support this, including expanding the Affordable Homes Programme from £7 billion to over £9 billion, standardising eligibility for buyers and extending funding for development to private providers.

Refuges

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on women's refuges of proposals to delegate funding for supported housing from central Government to local authorities.

Mr Marcus Jones: Government is currently consulting on these proposals. We have also committed to review the locally led approach to refuge provision in our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. This review will cover funding for refuges, including the critical care and support costs, and will take place by November 2018 so that our findings can be taken into consideration prior to implementing the new funding model for short term supported housing in 2020.We are continuing to explore all options for future delivery of refuge services, including a national model for refuges.

Compulsory Purchase

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review and enhance local authorities' compulsory purchase powers.

Alok Sharma: Local authorities already have very broad compulsory purchase powers, which can be used to support the delivery of a range of development and infrastructure projects. Through both the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, the Government is taking forward a substantial package of reforms to make the compulsory purchase process clearer, fairer and faster for all.We are keen for local authorities to make use of these new provisions, which include replacing often conflicting case law on compulsory purchase compensation with a clearer basis for identifying market value. This will allow negotiations on compensation to proceed with more speed and certainty. We will keep the operation of these reforms under review and consider whether further reforms are necessary.

Housing: Construction

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to issue new guidance in relation to the protection of sites located in the countryside outside of settlement boundaries from new housing in instances where a local authority (a) can and (b) cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable sites.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what policies are in place to support the protection of sites located in the countryside outside of settlement boundaries from new housing in instances where a local authority (a) can and (b) cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable sites.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of garden communities in addressing shortfalls in (a) local housing need, (b) a local authority's five-year supply of deliverable housing sites by facilitating increased development in the later years of a Local Plan period.

Alok Sharma: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out (at paragraph 55) that to promote sustainable development in rural areas, housing should be located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities. New garden communities have an important role to play in meeting local housing needs over the medium and long term.If an area cannot demonstrate a five year land supply the relevant policies for the supply of housing should not be considered up to date. In this circumstance permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. Exceptions where development should be restricted include land designated as Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The need for new or revised Planning Guidance is kept under review.

Social Rented Housing: Overcrowding

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the level of home overcrowding in social rented sector.

Alok Sharma: Levels of overcrowding in the social rented sector are assessed using the Department's English Housing Survey and according to the 'Bedroom Standard'.Overcrowding figures are published on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/658479/2015-16_Section_1_Households_Annex_Tables.xlsx (see AT 1.20)

Local Government: Redundancy Pay

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to introduce proposals for a cap on the amount of money senior council officials are entitled to receive in payments when leaving the employment of local authorities.

Mr Marcus Jones: Currently regulations give local government employers discretion to make a redundancy payment up to a limit of 104 weeks (2 years). In February 2016, the Government consulted on proposed changes to this regime, including a central framework to cap redundancy comensation payments in the public sector.My Department has developed proposals specific to local government, which would limit redundancy payments to a maximum of 15 months' salary. Further announcements on these will be made in due course.In addition, in 2016 the Government legislated to cap exit payments across the public sector to a maximum of £95,000. A consultation on proposed implementation arrangements will be forthcoming in 2018.

Affordable Housing

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has made an assessment of the extent to which the use of viability assessments could reduce affordable housing contributions.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to prevent housing developers using loopholes in the Government's planning policy to reduce the number of affordable houses.

Alok Sharma: Stakeholders report that the use of viability assessments can add complexity and uncertainty to the planning process. This can lead to delays and diminished contributions towards infrastructure and affordable housing.The Government consulted on proposals to reform the viability assessment process within the Planning for the right homes in the right places consultation. This will create more certainty about the contributions developers are expected to make to affordable housing and reduce the use of viability assessments at the planning application stage. The viability of the expected contributions should be tested at the plan-making stage. Where tested in plan-making, the issue should not usually need to be tested again at the planning application stage.The consultation has now closed and we are currently analysing the responses. A further announcement will be made in due course.

Housing: West Midlands

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase house building in the West Midlands Combined Authority area.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 12 December 2017



Over 1,111,000 additional homes have been delivered in England since April 2010, with 217,350 net additional dwellings in 2016-17, up 15 per cent on 2015-16 and 50 per cent on 2009-10.But the Prime Minister has been clear – this should be a country that works for everyone. This means building more of the right homes, in the right places, and ensuring the housing market works for all parts of our community.So at Autumn Budget 2017, we announced further reforms to tackle our broken housing market, including Planning reforms to ensure more land is available for housing and maximise the potential of our cities and towns to build new homes whilst protecting the Green Belt; more than £15 billion of new financial support over the next five years, taking total financial support to at least £44 billion to 2022/2023, and expanding the Homes and Communities Agency to become Homes England, bringing together money, expertise, planning and compulsory purchase powers.We also agreed a second Devolution Deal with the West Midlands, which included support for a new Mayoral Housing Delivery Team, and are continuing work on a Housing Deal to increase the supply of land and housing delivery across the West Midlands.

Non-domestic Rates: Greater London

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether there will be a central formula to assist London boroughs in deciding where to invest the revenue growth from the 100 per cent business retention pilot.

Mr Marcus Jones: The 100 per cent business rates pilot in London will test how London boroughs are managing their business rates income under pooled arrangements. London boroughs will have the freedom to decide where to invest the potential revenue growth arising from the pilot, therefore allowing the boroughs more control over the money they raise locally in accordance with our manifesto commitment.

Non-domestic Rates

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the overall percentage of business rate retention is  and whether local authorities will be able to retain all of the new growth element announced in Autumn budget 2017.

Mr Marcus Jones: All authorities in England retain at least 50 per cent of their business rates income.The Government remains committed to further business rates retention and is working collaboratively with the local government sector to deliver further retention and reform the system.In the Autumn Budget 2017 a London pilot 100 per cent Business Rate Retention Scheme was announced and will commence in April 2018, as well as a continuation in the 2018/19 cycle for the five current 100 per cent business rates pilots.

Housing: Construction

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many English planning authorities do not have an adequate five year land supply.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 12 December 2017



The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to identify a supply of deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements. Most areas produce an annual assessment of their position in five year land supply but this position may alter throughout the year as a result of market conditions and challenge at appeal.The Housing White Paper included a proposal to offer greater certainty to local planning authorities, developers and communities by enabling authorities to consult with key stakeholders and agree their housing land supply with the Planning Inspectorate. This would then be fixed for a one-year period.

Aviation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2017 to Question 117145, on Aviation, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's guidance to local planning authorities on considering the interconnectivity between airfields of different sizes and having regard to the Aviation Policy Framework.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 12 December 2017



Local planning authorities must have regard to the National Planning Policy Framework, supported by our planning practice guidance, when preparing their Local Plan. The Framework and the guidance are also material considerations in planning decisions.It is for local planning authorities to decide how they will apply the guidance in the particular circumstances of individual planning cases and in accordance with the development plan.My Department is working closely with the Department for Transport in looking at issues relating to general aviation, including airfields.

Affordable Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average funding per unit from allocations under the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21 for (a) London and (b) each Homes and Communities operating area, excluding nil grant units was for (i) the entire programme (ii) Affordable Rent units and (iii) Affordable Home Ownership units for the period up to the end of September 2017,

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 13 December 2017



Funding is allocated by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority in London. Housing associations and local authorities are able to bid into the Programme for funding.Successful bids for the HCA and GLA can be found online.HCA figures can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/affordable-homes-programme-2016-to-2021-successful-biddersGLA figures can be found here:https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing-and-land/homes-londoners/homes-londoners-affordable-homes-programme-2016-21

Housing: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been (a) started and (b) completed in Coventry in each year since 2010.

Alok Sharma: Estimates of house building; new build dwellings starts and completions for England and in each local authority district, to June quarter 2017, are shown in Live Table 253a at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-buildingData for the September quarter 2017 is scheduled for publication on the 19 December 2017.These cover new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply. The Department also publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to meet those people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire who are still living in temporary accommodation before the end of 2017.

Alok Sharma: I, along with the Secretary of State and the Minister for Grenfell Victims, have regularly met those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire and will continue to do so in future. In particular, the Minister for Grenfell Victims continues to liaise with survivors, their representatives and other local organisations so that the challenges being faced by the community are fully recognised by both local and central government and reflected in our approach to recovery.

HM Treasury

Taxation: Self-assessment

Alex Sobel: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people paid their self-assessment tax demand at a branch of the Post Office in the last 12 months.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are not able to identify the exact number of people who paid their self assessment tax demand at a branch of the post office in the last 12 months. Individuals can make payments to HMRC multiple times a year, and sometimes do so using different payment methods.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Alex Sobel: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department undertook a consultation on the use of the Post Office to pay self assessment tax bills ahead of the decision to remove that service on 15 December 2017.

Mel Stride: The facility to pay HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at the Post Office in its current format is being withdrawn by the service provider Santander. HMRC are not the only users of this service and had no influence on this decision or the timing of the withdrawal.

Treasury: Bell Pottinger Group

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations any Minister of his Department has received from Bell Pottinger on behalf of (a) Atos IT Services UK Limited, (b) Centrica PLC, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) Monarch Holdings Limited.

Andrew Jones: The Government receives representations on a wide range of issues. It is not normal practice to release details of representations regarding specific cases

Multinational Companies: Taxation

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will take steps to require multinational companies to set out in their annual report how much tax they would owe the Exchequer if they were to subtract costs incurred solely in the UK from their revenues generated solely in the UK.

Mel Stride: Along with most major economies in the world, the UK levies corporation tax on the basis of the profits generated by economic activity and assets held here. The Government introduced country-by-country reporting which requires multinationals to provide HMRC with comprehensive information about global activities, profits and taxes. This enables HMRC to better assess where risks lie and where their efforts to counter aggressive tax planning and tax avoidance should be focused. The UK is committed to a multilateral model of public country-by-country reporting and we will continue to engage with our international partners on this issue.

Infrastructure: Leigh

Jo Platt: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2017 to Question 115972, what proportion of the £243 million allocated to Greater Manchester, from the Transforming Cities Fund, Leigh constituency will benefit from.

Andrew Jones: Greater Manchester will receive an allocation of £243 million from the Transforming Cities Fund which will benefit residents across Greater Manchester, including those in the Leigh constituency. Decisions on how this money is spent will be made at a local level, and so it will be for the Mayor and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to decide which transport projects to support.

Stamp Duty Land Tax: North Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many homes bought in North Cornwall in 2016-17 were below the stamp duty threshold.

Mel Stride: In 2016-17, there were 330 property transactions recorded by HMRC in the North Cornwall constituency which were below the stamp duty land tax threshold.

Sugar: Taxation

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of hypothecating taxes raised from a sugar tax for the purposes of improving healthcare outcomes in childhood.

Andrew Jones: The government is not currently minded to implement a general sugar tax and therefore has not made an assessment of the hypothecation of the revenue from such a tax.

Treasury: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Andrew Jones: HM Treasury leavers based on financial years and current year to date figures.   Apr 2014 to Mar 2015Apr 2015 to Mar 2016Apr 2016 to Mar 2017Apr 2017 to Oct 2017Total leavers267271327171  All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

Boats: Customs Unions

Brendan O'Hara: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to ensure that recreational craft placed on the market after the UK leaves the EU can attain Union Goods status.

Mel Stride: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 December 2017 (UIN 116210, 116206, 116207)

Housing: Wolverhampton North East

Emma Reynolds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many properties in Wolverhampton North East sold for over £1 million in 2016.

Mel Stride: In 2016 fewer than 30 residential properties in the Wolverhampton North East constituency sold for over £1 million.

Help to Buy Scheme

John Woodcock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there have been any changes to the eligibility criteria for qualifying for a bonus with a Help to Buy ISA since that policy was introduced; and what the eligibility criteria were when that policy was introduced.

Stephen Barclay: There has been no change to the eligibility criteria since the policy was introduced.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Closures

Danielle Rowley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with Royal Bank of Scotland about branch closures in Scotland.

Danielle Rowley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with Royal Bank of Scotland about branch closures in (a) Bonnyrigg and (b) Penicuik.

Stephen Barclay: Government ministers and officials regularly meet with a wide range of organisations from the public and private sectors to discuss policy issues. The Government’s shareholding in RBS is managed commercially and at arm’s length by UK Financial Investments (UKFI), with the objective of creating and protecting value for the taxpayer. RBS retains its own board which is responsible for commercial and operational decisions, including in relation to its branch network.

Treasury: Crimes against Property

Deidre Brock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer,  what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last ten years.

Andrew Jones: Any costs or losses arising from theft or fraud against HM Treasury’s core department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies are reported each financial year in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts under Losses and Special Payments, which fall within the department’s Parliamentary Accountability Disclosures. For further reference, the Cabinet Office Centre of Expertise on Counter Fraud publishes the Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report, which consolidates quarterly returns by departments on fraud and error. The NAO also published a Fraud Landscape Review in 2016, since when annual reporting by the Cabinet Office has been enhanced.

Child Benefit: Carers

Peter Grant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reconsider allowing Zambrano carers to apply for child benefit for children who are UK citizens.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government’s policy is that although Zambrano carers have a right to live and work in the UK, it does not entitle them to Child Benefit. This maintains the long-standing position of successive Governments that persons from outside the EU/EEA are, in general, not entitled to public funds.

Overseas Trade: China

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government has taken to rectify the weaknesses in the UK's enforcement of the EU external tariff on Chinese goods identified in the OLAF report 2016.

Mel Stride: The government treats the issue of customs duty undervaluation fraud very seriously, and has taken reasonable and appropriate steps to address suspected fraud. The response to suspected fraud continues to evolve as new information becomes available and through learning from ongoing operations. HMRC’s current approach includes physical pre-clearance checks targeted at high risk traders, including requiring importers to provide security before suspected undervalued goods are released and seizing mis-described goods. In addition trader monitoring is in place to examine supply chains and check documentation, and post-clearance compliance activity includes cross-tax audits to check the credibility of information provided. The government does not recognise OLAF’s estimate of alleged duty loss.

Brexit

Stephen Doughty: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the economic assessment that underpinned the Prime Minister's statement on 11 December 2017 that significant savings will be made as a result of the UK leaving the EU; and if he will publish the total value of those savings.

Elizabeth Truss: Since the government have ensured that the UK will only have to meet its share of commitments as and when they fall due, this ensures that the UK will not have to pay more, or sooner, than if it had remained a member of the EU. Under the settlement, we will pay two years’ worth of our net contributions, then a declining amount after 2020, when we can expect to see savings relative to ongoing contributions as a member state. This is a significant saving relative to staying in the EU.

Community Development Finance Institutions

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to encourage the growth of community development finance initiatives; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The government provides support for Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) through Community Investment Tax Relief (CITR). CITR encourages investment in disadvantaged communities by giving tax relief to investors who back businesses and other enterprises in less advantaged areas by investing in accredited CDFIs. The tax relief is available to individuals and companies and is worth up to 25% of the value of the investment in the CDFI.

Mortgages: Environment Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential of green mortgages to incentivise reduced home energy consumption; and what recent representations he has received on this subject.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is supportive of industry efforts to incentivise energy efficiency through mortgage lending. Mortgage lenders are well placed to support energy efficiency improvements to the nation's homes. However, it is ultimately a commercial decision for firms to choose to offer green mortgage products. Government is supporting this process by launching the industry-led Green Finance Taskforce. Its remit includes examining opportunities to scale-up retail green finance products. The Taskforce will provide recommendations to Government in Spring 2018.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to  the Answers of 28 November to Question 115530 and Question 115536, what information his (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments hold on the number of households who have applied for tax-free childcare through the childcare choices website.

Lucy Powell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many childcare accounts have been opened by parents in receipt of tax free childcare for children aged (a) 0, (b) 1, (c) 2 (d) 3, (e) 4, (f) 5, (g) 6, (h) 7, (i) 8, (j) 9, (k) 10, (l) 11 and (m) 12.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Revenue & Customs records the numbers of applicants for Tax-Free Childcare, and the children that they have applied for. HMRC also records eligibility information provided by parents in the application and reconfirmation processes. Eligibility information is checked against a range of Government data sources. Tax-Free Childcare is currently available to working families whose youngest child was born on or after 24 November 2011. It will be rolled out to all eligible parents of children aged under 12 by the end of March 2018.

Department for International Trade

Foreign Investment in UK: North of England

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to increase the amount of foreign direct investment in the North of England.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Northern Powerhouse (NPH) Investment Taskforce, established in 2016 after consultation with partners in the north, undertakes three primary activities: its 5 sector specialists research and collate the commercial strengths of the north and showcase these to target investors; it briefs DIT’s network in 108 countries on these NPH strengths, through webinars and inward visits, so the network can talk knowledgeably and passionately about the NPH with investors; and it supports existing foreign investors in growing their business in the UK by providing a framework and funding for local partners to key account manage companies which are not already on DIT’s key account management framework.

Foreign Investment in UK

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how his Department is working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to attract foreign direct investment into the Industrial Strategy.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) leads on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy.DIT has been working closely with colleagues in the BEIS Industrial Strategy team, to ensure the closest possible alignment of activity to support the Strategy’s initiatives around growing clusters and sectors, and the promotion of FDI through DIT’s FDI strategy.This will deliver a more targeted approach to promotion and investor support, and better address market failures to maximise wealth creation across the UK. From April 2018, we will change our measure of performance from the volume of projects landed to a comprehensive measure of economic impact.Alongside this DIT will work with local partners to identify High Potential Opportunities that are currently overlooked, misunderstood, or underestimated, and therefore not achieving their full potential. Targeted promotion and support around these opportunities will help to address the market failures that leave these places at a disadvantage, by presenting investors with a more complete picture of supply.

Trade Agreements: Arbitration

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December to Question 115256, what plans he has to publish the economic research on the design and implementation of the future trade remedies framework.

Greg Hands: The Department has been engaging with stakeholders on the insights from any economic research, and is committed to continuing this process. This will inform the detailed design of how the UK’s future trade remedies framework will work in practice, including the development of secondary legislation.

Department for International Trade: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many members of staff have left his Department since it was created; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many members of staff have left UK Export Finance since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Greg Hands: In the period July 2016 to November 2017, a total of 195 UK based employees have left the Department for International Trade (DIT).Since January 2015, there have been 144 leavers from UK Export Finance (UKEF).The reasons for members of staff leaving include, amongst others, retiring, transferring departments, resignation and end of contract.Neither DIT nor UKEF holds data on the nationalities of these staff.Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

Trade Agreements: USA

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with the (a) National Farmers Union and (b) Food and Drink Federation on the potential for a free trade deal for the UK with the US.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) supports trade and champions the interests of companies in all parts of the UK. DIT has met both the National Farmers Union and the Food and Drink Federation to discuss a number of matters, including UK-US trade.

Overseas Trade

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the economy of an independent trade policy and the costs of leaving the EU customs union.

Greg Hands: The Government has been undertaking appropriate analytical work to support our exit negotiations, as any responsible Government should, in order to inform our understanding of how leaving the European Union will affect the UK.We are going to make the most of the opportunities that our departure presents, for forging new trade relationships with other countries, including both at the World Trade Organisation and in bilateral agreements.

Trade Agreements: Arbitration

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2017 to Question 115520 on Trade Agreements: Arbitration, whether his Department has plans to recruit additional staff for the trade remedies investigating authority.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2017 to Question 115520 on Trade Remedies: Arbitration, what assessment his Department has made of the number of staff required to adequately resource the trade remedies investigating authority.

Greg Hands: We are committed to creating a trade remedies authority that has the appropriate number of people, skills and infrastructure to investigate trade remedies cases and assess injury efficiently and effectively.To inform this process we have reviewed the structure and resources of several other international systems. We have also worked closely with counterparts in other government departments and existing arms-length bodies which perform similar investigative functions.

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to contribute to the achievement of the UK's Sustainable Development Goals.

Greg Hands: We are working with departments across Government to ensure development and global prosperity is at the heart of UK trade policy.We are working together to align our departments’ agendas and resources in developing economies, with the shared intention of boosting inclusive growth and unlocking opportunities for increased UK trade and investment.

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to Answer of 23 November 2017 to Question 902535, on Equal Pay, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of requiring all larger employers to publish their gender pay gap on reducing that pay gap.

Anne Milton: The government is determined to close the gender pay gap, which is currently at 18.4%. A full assessment was published that set out the expected impact of new regulations which introduced mandatory gender pay gap reporting:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2016/245/pdfs/ukia_20160245_en.pdf. The department recently published research on the action larger employers are taking to close the gender pay gaps within their organisations:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gender-pay-gap-employers-action-and-understanding.

Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to encourage the car industry to tackle air pollution.

Jesse Norman: We continue to press manufacturers to rectify failings where vehicles on the road, even some of the newest models, show harmful emissions levels significantly greater than the laboratory test limits. Some manufacturers have committed to offering voluntary software changes to EU5 and EU6 vehicles to improve their real world performance and we are encouraging other manufacturers to do the same. In the Autumn Budget, Government announced supplements to Vehicle Excise Duty and Company Car Tax for new diesel cars not certified to step 2 of Real Driving Emissions (RDE2) standards – also known as Euro-6d. These supplements provide strong incentives for manufacturers to innovate and adopt cleaner technologies on an accelerated basis.

Railways: Freight

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2017 to  Question 115264 on Railways: Freight, when he expects the air quality impact study undertaken by the Rail Delivery Group's freight air quality group to be published.

Paul Maynard: The study consists of several phases and is currently being scoped. No date has yet been agreed with industry for publication. Further clarity will be provided in the new year.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2017 to Question 116560, what estimate his Department has made of the volume of HS2 construction vehicles in each local authority area along the Phase One route.

Paul Maynard: The estimate of the volume of HS2 construction vehicles travelling in each local authority area was derived from data in the Phase One Environmental Statement. The figures used for the purpose of determining the relative allocations from the HS2 Road Safety Fund are as follows: Local AuthorityTotal estimated number of HGV trips on the road networkCamden337240Westminster216489Ealing140013Hillingdon89794Hertfordshire161911Buckinghamshire548834Slough47326Oxfordshire158498Northamptonshire229257Warwickshire1118266Solihull338526Birmingham369686Staffordshire413034Total4168874

Transport: Per Capita Costs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the per capita spending from the public purse was on transport projects in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) London in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: Figures on public sector expenditure at a regional level are part of the Government’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics. These statistics attempt to allocate the spending according to where the benefits of that spend are accrued.The statistics include spend on transport by all public sector organisations including the Department for Transport, Local Authorities, Public Corporations (in the case of transport, this is mainly spend by London Underground) and other Government Departments (including the devolved administrations). Comparisons between London and other regions are often not reliable due to difficulty in cost allocation.This information is available for Government office regions only, and therefore is unavailable for Greater Manchester. Statistics for total public capital expenditure on transport per capita for London are given in the table below. The CRA measures the levels of ‘capital’ and ‘current’ expenditure. Capital expenditure has been used as a proxy for spending on transport projects specifically. Total public sector capital expenditure on transport per capita£s nominal 2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17London466478533605692

South Eastern Rail Franchise

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the page 34, paragraph 17 of the paper South East Rail Franchise Stakeholder Briefing Document Shaping the Future, what proportion of delays  to South East trains at crossover points were caused by Bexleyheath Line services travelling (a) to and (b) from Victoria Station in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Department does not hold the information requested broken down into the level of detail required and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Railways: Public Holidays

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which rail franchises are required to provide train services on Boxing Day, and what those requirements are for each franchise.

Paul Maynard: Two rail franchises are currently required to provide limited Boxing Day services. Greater Anglia is required to operate certain services between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport. Govia Thameslink Railway is required to operate certain services between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and Brighton, between London Victoria and Sutton, and between London Victoria and East Croydon. During any periods of engineering work, replacement bus services would be provided. All franchises have discretion to operate Boxing Day services on a commercial basis, subject to agreement with Network Rail.

Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Expert Committee

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have been appointed as members of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Expert Committee to date.

Jesse Norman: Following discussion with various stakeholders, the Department has established a stakeholder advisory group to hold the Government to account for the delivery of the Strategy, and ensure that its cycling and walking policies are informed by regular dialogue with the relevant organisations. This replaces the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Expert Committee and this group met for the first time in October 2017, with it due to meet on a quarterly basis. Ministers and officials also continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders on a regular basis to discuss issues such as the Cycle Safety Review.

Aviation

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department would make an assessment of the potential merits of permitting further routes from an airport where Public Service Obligation support for a specific air route has been successful.

Mr John Hayes: Public Service Obligations are imposed where there is a risk that an air service will be withdrawn and Government believes that the route is vital for the economic and social development of a region. Government will be examining the role of Public Service Obligations in its upcoming Aviation Strategy.

Blue Badge Scheme

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of whether Blue Badge mobility assessments are being carried out consistently across local authorities and different assessors; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that such assessments are undertaken consistently.

Jesse Norman: The Department introduced legislation in 2012 requiring mobility assessors to hold a professional qualification, which involves being trained in the assessment of a person’s ability to walk. The Department has assisted local authorities by providing detailed guidance - based on the advice of independent mobility experts - on factors that should be taken into account when determining an applicant’s eligibility. Ultimately it is the responsibility of each local authority to satisfy itself that an applicant meets the eligibility criteria set in law.

Mersey Tunnels: Tolls

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many discussions he has had with the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region on the levels at which Mersey Tunnel Tolls are set; and what the outcome of those discussions has been.

Jesse Norman: The ownership and operation of the Mersey Tunnels is a matter for the Liverpool City Region Mayoral Combined Authority. This includes decisions on the tolling of the Tunnels in accordance with the Mersey Tunnels Act 2004. As a consequence, Department for Transport Ministers have not had any discussions with the Metro Mayor on Tunnel Tolls.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what reports or representations he has received on advance payments from HS2 not being paid when they become due; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Department has received a small number of representations from businesses affected by HS2 near Old Oak Common about advance payments. I am aware that some businesses there have been in contact with HS2 Ltd about how they will be treated in terms of advance payments. I understand that HS2 Ltd are in discussion with those businesses to obtain the evidence that is reasonably needed by the Government in order to make an assessment of the advance payment within the required timeframes. I have received one representation about an advance payment for a property near Euston which was due on 1 December. I expect the case in question to be concluded shortly.

Roads: Sefton

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for safety improvements at the Switch Island road junction in Sefton.

Jesse Norman: Highways England announced a £3m improvement scheme for Switch Island in April 2017, which aims to relieve congestion and improve its road safety performance. This scheme is being funded from the government’s additional £220 million announced at the Autumn Statement 2016 to help tackle congestion. The scheme includes new traffic lights, changes to the road layout and lane markings, new barriers between carriageways, coloured high friction surfacing and improved signs. Work is expected to start in February 2018 and last for eleven months.

Railways: North of England

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for a new rail line between Liverpool and Hull.

Paul Maynard: The Department is working closely with the Transport for the North (TfN) in their development of a business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail, which aims to connect the major cities of the North. I look forward to receiving their business case in 2018.

Railways: Fylde

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 117958, what assessment his Department has made of the practicability of Northern Rail increasing the frequency of train services on the South Fylde line without Network Rail taking steps to update the existing single-track line.

Paul Maynard: Given that the branch is single-track from Blackpool South to Kirkham & Wesham, and the typical journey time is about 27 minutes in each direction, we have assessed that an hourly service is the best that can be managed on the existing infrastructure.

Railways: Fylde

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 117958, what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on installing the requisite infrastructure to enable the doubling of the frequency of train services on the South Fylde line.

Paul Maynard: In line with our devolution policies, it would be for a local body or promoter to develop the business case for public funding to improve local connectivity by increasing the frequency of train services on the South Fylde line and installing any necessary supporting infrastructure. Blackpool will however benefit from the upgrade to the Preston - Blackpool currently in delivery. The tracks are being replaced and realigned to make journeys better. At Kirkham & Wesham station, new tracks and a new platform will help to better manage train services and reduce delays.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Arms Trade

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the UN Security Council Resolutions and the UN Weapons Embargo against Iran in preventing Iran from exporting weapons and advancing its ballistic missile programme.

Alistair Burt: UN mechanisms are crucial to preventing Iran from exporting weapons and advancing its ballistic missile programme and it is essential that the UN investigate concerns where they are raised. We have consistently made clear our concerns to Iran about its ballistic missile programme and the supply of weapons to neighbouring countries. We continue to raise our concerns under United National Security Council Resolutions 2231 and 2216, including with France, Germany, the US and the relevant UN bodies. The British Government condemned the Houthi missile attack on Riyadh on 4 November, which deliberately targeted a civilian area and was intercepted over an international airport. The supply of ballistic missiles to the Houthis threatens regional security and prolonging the conflict. In his recent visit to Iran the Foreign Secretary pressed his Iranian counterparts to use their influence to ensure that these indiscriminate and dangerous attacks come to an end.

USA

Mr Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department or other Government departments or agencies have had access to a full copy of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not itself requested or had access to the full report. We are not aware of any government department or agency having seen the full report.

USA

Mr Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department or other Government departments or agencies have requested a full copy of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not itself requested or had access to the full report. We are not aware of any government department or agency having seen the full report.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Bell Pottinger Group

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations any Minister of his Department has received from Bell Pottinger on behalf of (a) Atos IT Services UK Limited, (b) Centrica PLC, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) Monarch Holdings Limited.

Mark Field: ​No written ministerial correspondence has been received in 2017 from Bell Pottinger on behalf of Atos IT Services UK Limited, Centrica Plc, Ernst & Young and Monarch Holdings Limited.

Nabeel Rajab

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Bahrain on Nabeel Rajab’s unsuccessful appeal against a two-year prison sentence for speaking to journalists.

Alistair Burt: ​We continue to closely monitor the case of Nabeel Rajab and have raised it with the Bahraini Government at the highest levels. The British Government continues to emphasise to the Government of Bahrain the need to respect the rights of all citizens, including freedom of expression.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 115266 on companies: ownership, when (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department last held discussions with representatives of the Governments of (i) Anguilla, (ii) Turks and Caicos Islands and (iii) Montserrat on the establishment of a central register or similar arrangement; and what the outcome was of those discussions.

Sir Alan Duncan: At the Joint Ministerial Council on 28-29 November, the Minister for the Overseas Territories (OTs), Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, and leaders of the OTs welcomed progress made by those OTs with financial services centres in implementing the arrangements set out in the Exchange of Notes on exchange of beneficial ownership information. They committed, where not already achieved, to expedite work to ensure that the new systems were fully operational and populated.​Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also recently discussed progress on the establishment of beneficial ownership systems with representatives of the Governments of Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and Montserrat. We are finalising with the Government of Anguilla a Memorandum of Understanding on the terms for the provision of UK support for the establishment of their beneficial ownership system. TCI Representatives have confirmed that their Financial Services Commission is at the testing stage for its new central register.Representatives of Montserrat have confirmed that a Bill requiring legal entities to hold beneficial ownership information and to submit it for inclusion in Montserrat's existing public central register will have its first reading in Montserrat's Legislative Assembly on 19 December 2017. The target date for the addition of beneficial ownership information to the existing register is 1 April 2018.

Montserrat: Companies

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 115266 on companies: ownership, when he expects the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat to (a) introduce and (b) pass legislation to implement a central register of beneficial ownership.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​A Bill requiring legal entities to hold beneficial ownership information and to submit it for inclusion in Montserrat's existing public central register will have its first reading in Montserrat's Legislative Assembly on 19 December. It will have its second and third reading at the next sitting of the Legislative Assembly, which is scheduled to sit on 23 January 2018. The Bill is expected to come into law after that date.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 to Question 115266 on companies: ownership, how many times UK law enforcement authorities have accessed beneficial ownership information held on companies incorporated in British Overseas Territories since 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have access to operational details of requests made by UK law enforcement authorities for beneficial ownership information.

Embassies: Tableware

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of tableware used in British embassies is supplied by manufacturers in the UK

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold data centrally on the suppliers of tableware to its overseas missions. To provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Tableware

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, from which suppliers his Department acquires its tableware.

Alistair Burt: Tableware used in Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK staff restaurants is supplied by Bidfood Catering Equipment. The range used is manufactured by Steelite International, a UK pottery based in Stoke-on-Trent.Government Hospitality (GH) arranges formal ministerial business hospitality for all government departments and orders, manages and maintains its own stock of china, glass and linen. The State Dinner Service used by GH is a Wedgwood design, originally commissioned in the 1950s. Other items of china tableware currently held in stock were manufactured by Minton, Royal Crown Derby, Royal Worcester and Spode.Embassies manage their own stocks of tableware locally and no central record is held of suppliers.​

Libya: Slavery

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to tackle trafficking and sale of slaves in Libya.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister has called modern slavery one of the great human rights challenges of our time, and has made eradicating this scourge one of her top foreign policy priorities. We have committed to doubling our aid spend in support of this objective to £150 million. In Libya, we have provided humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees and delivered assistance in detention centres. We are also increasing our engagement with the Libyan law enforcement authorities to tackle organised crime and trafficking. We have provided specific support to women and girls, to protect them from the heightened risks of trafficking and sexual and gender based violence. The UK regularly raises with the Libyan Government the need for wider respect for human rights and accountability.

Syria: Administration of Justice

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he made an assessment of the case for suspending the Access to Justice and Community Services programme in Syria before 4 December 2017?

Alistair Burt: As soon as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was made aware of the Panorama allegations on 17 November, we immediately suspended activity on all Adam Smith International projects in Syria, pending the outcomes of an investigation.

Horn of Africa: Migration

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Khartoum Process on tackling migration within the Horn of Africa.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Khartoum Process has enhanced cooperation between the EU and African partners in tackling the challenges of illegal migration in the Horn of Africa. It continues to make progress under the Valetta Action Plan in combatting people smuggling and trafficking, and in bolstering regional protection for refugees. The UK will remain engaged under Italy's upcoming chairmanship and beyond.

Palestinians: Refugees

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the right of return for Palestine refugees.

Alistair Burt: ​I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 October 2017 (PQ 107394).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Sir Alan Duncan: Between 1st January 2015 and 30th November 2017, 929 UK Based Staff have left the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This includes retirement, resignation, career breaks and dismissal. It also includes civil servants returning to their parent department at the end of their loan/secondment.The Aliens' Employment Act 1955 makes it a requirement that all UK Based Staff in the FCO must be British nationals or dual nationals where one of those nationalities is British. We do not centrally hold details of the nationality of our staff who are dual nationals.

Israeli Settlements

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Israeli settlement building in Jerusalem.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 October 2017 (PQ 106847).

Chechnya: LGBT People

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department provides development assistance to human rights organisations helping LGBT people in Chechnya; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Officials from across Whitehall and in Russia continue to work closely with non-governmental organisations who are supporting the victims fleeing persecution in Chechnya. We continue to make our concerns clear to the Russian Government at a senior level; most recently I raised this with First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov in Moscow on 8 December. This is all in keeping with the UK's longstanding support for LGBT rights in Russia.

Iran: Religious Freedom

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Iranian Government on the judicial treatment of Christians and other religious minorities in Iran.

Alistair Burt: The human rights situation in Iran, including the harassment and persecution of Christians, is of serious concern. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns with the Iranian Government as a notable element of his visit to Iran on 9-10 December, as did I during my visit on 5 August.​​

British Council

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding his Department has allocated to the British Council in each year since 2010.

Mark Field: The figures published in the FCO Annual Accounts for outturn Grant-in-Aid funding to the British Council are as follows:Financial Year​£m2009/10193.02010/11187.02011/12179.02012/13165.02013/14157.02014/15154.02015/16156.02016/17162.0The current allocation for 2017/18 is £161.5m but the final outturn figure will be published in the 2017/18 FCO Annual Report and accounts.

Seas and Oceans: Environmental Protection

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to sign up to the Blue Belt Charter.

Sir Alan Duncan: The British Government is reviewing the proposed Blue Belt Charter.The Government is already a global leader in marine protection through the implementation of the Blue Belt programme around the UK and the UK Overseas Territories. Through this programme we are on course to deliver over four million square kilometres of protected ocean by 2020, preserving unique environments and meeting international obligations for the global conservation of oceans.

Kashmir: Politics and Government

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: The UK closely monitors the situation in India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. British High Commission officials in India and Pakistan continue to meet local authorities and others to discuss progress.The Government of India appointed an interlocutor for Kashmir in October to work with interested parties and individuals in India-administered Kashmir; we understand he has completed two visits to the region. We welcome such efforts to engage in inclusive dialogue.The long-​standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department provided for research and development for new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for tuberculosis in the financial years (a) 2014-2015, (b) 2015-2016 and (c) 2016-2017.

Rory Stewart: The UK Aid Strategy highlights the importance of combatting the world’s most serious diseases, including tuberculosis (TB). DFID provided (a) £10.6m in 2014/15 (b) £9.3m in 2015/16 and (c) £7m in 2016/17 for the development of drugs, diagnostics and vaccines to combat TB.

Department for International Development: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many members of staff have left her Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Rory Stewart: Since 1 January 2015, 530 staff have left DFID, of which 12 have declared as non-UK EU nationals.

Israel Defense Forces

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government provides Official Development Assistance to the Israeli Defence Force relief mission in the Golan Heights.

Alistair Burt: The Government does not provide Official Development Assistance to the Israeli Defence Force relief mission in the Golan Heights.

Occupied Territories: Demolition

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to seek compensation for buildings and equipment demolished by Israel in the Occupied Palestine Territories which were funded by UK aid.

Alistair Burt: We are gravely concerned by the continued demolition of Palestinian property by the Israeli authorities. No structures directly funded by the UK in recent years have been demolished. A number of structures funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) have been demolished in recent years. The UK’s financing share of EU expenditure varies year on year but has been approximately 15%. The UK regularly raises demolitions with the Government of Israel.

Palestinians: Refugees

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department provides support to the Government of Jordan to help with Palestinian refugees to that country.

Alistair Burt: The UK is not providing the Government of Jordan with direct support to help with Palestinian refugees. However, the UK is a long-term supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which has a unique role to protect and provide essential services to over 5 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. In the current financial year, we will provide £38 million towards UNRWA’s Programme Budget, which will enable UNRWA to support Palestinian refugees across the region, including in Jordan. Additionally, the UK provides significant support to Jordan to improve education access and quality and create economic opportunities, which will benefit people throughout Jordan, including Palestinians.

Palestinians: Refugees

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to Palestinian refugees from Gaza living in Jordon.

Alistair Burt: The UK is a long-term supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which has a unique role to protect and provide essential services to over 5 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. In financial year 2017/18 we will be provide £38 million towards UNRWA’s Programme Budget which will enable UNRWA to support Palestinian refugees across the region, including those from Gaza living in Jordan. Additionally, the UK provides significant support to Jordan to improve education access and quality and create economic opportunities, which will benefit people throughout Jordan, including Palestinians.

Palestinians: Refugees

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to Palestinian refugees from Syria living in Jordan.

Alistair Burt: The UK contributed £600,000 to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) 2017 Syria Emergency Appeal for Palestinian refugees from Syria in Jordan. Under the same grant, the UK also provided UNRWA with £1million of funding for their 2016 appeal in Jordan. UK funds have contributed to teacher salaries at UNRWA-run schools and have also been used to provide cash assistance for Palestinian refugees from Syria, that meet strict vulnerability criteria. Additionally, the UK provides significant support to Jordan to improve education access and quality and create economic opportunities, which will benefit people throughout Jordan, including Palestinians.

Palestinians: Refugees

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is providing official development assistant to the Government of Lebanon to help with Palestinian refugees.

Alistair Burt: The UK is not providing the Government of Lebanon with direct support to help with Palestinian refugees. However, the UK is a long-term supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which has a unique role to protect and provide essential services to over 5 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. In the current financial year, we will provide £38 million towards UNRWA’s Programme Budget, which will enable UNRWA to support Palestinian refugees across the region, including in Lebanon.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that UK aid is not allocated to organisations and programmes that do not support or understand freedom of religion or belief.

Alistair Burt: All DFID contractual and grant arrangements include specific clauses to prevent any discrimination against protected characteristics; this includes discrimination on the basis of religion or belief. DFID’s due diligence assessments, a necessary pre-requisite for receiving UK Aid funding, obtain assurance of a potential delivery partner’s capacity to deliver and meet those conditions set out in the contract or grant award.

Religious Freedom

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the recommendations of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, entitled Article 18: From Rhetoric to Reality, published on 25 Oct 2017.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government and, therefore, DFID recognise that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental freedom applying to all human beings, which is recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18. Violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief are among the most common human rights violations, and people are discriminated and persecuted all over the world for having and expressing their belief (or non-belief).DFID welcomes the analysis and recommendations contained within the report which will further enrich the government’s understanding and help to inform our approach as we continue to seek ways in which to further promote and protect freedom of religion or belief in all countries.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the Palestinian Authority about the payments of more than £33,000 to Mousab Abu Shkhidem, Nidal Shehadeh, Is'haq Arafe, and Hussein Kawasmeh.

Alistair Burt: No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families. UK financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is only used to help to pay the salaries of health and education public servants in the West Bank. Only named public servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible and a robust verification system validates that funds are used for the intended purposes. The UK government strongly condemns all forms of violence including incitement to violence.

Palestinians: Terrorism

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the payment of over £41,000 each to Kifah Ghneimat and Iyad Fataftah who were the attackers of Kay Wilson in December 2010.

Alistair Burt: No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families. UK financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority is only used to help to pay the salaries of health and education public servants in the West Bank. Only named public servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible and a robust verification system validates that funds are used for the intended purposes. The UK government strongly condemns all forms of violence including incitement to violence.

Lebanon: Refugees

George Freeman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Lebanese Government on the potential forced return of refugees to Syria.

Alistair Burt: I have raised the issue of refugee returns on several occasions with the Government of Lebanon, including during a visit to Lebanon in October 2017, where I met with President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, among others. I also discussed the issue with Education Minister Marwan Hamade and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil when they visited the UK in November. The UK is committed to ensuring that any refugee returns to Syria take place voluntarily, in safety and dignity, in line with international law. We do not support forced returns and will not support any returns before Syria or parts of Syria are declared safe by the United Nations. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees does not currently consider conditions to be in place for refugees to return to Syria in safety and dignity.

Department for Education

Schools: Inspections

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential  effect of the way in which Ofsted inspections are conducted on the mental health and wellbeing of teachers.

Nick Gibb: Both the Department and Ofsted view the wellbeing and mental health of teachers as a priority in relation to schools. The Department is committed to destigmatising mental health, encouraging openness and ensuring that access is available to support all staff who need support and assistance. The Department is tackling the drivers of unnecessary workload at national level, and is working with Ofsted to remove unnecessary workload connected with inspection and accountability, reducing data burdens on schools, and better assessing the impact of national policy changes on schools. Ofsted’s 2017 to 2022 strategy published on 29 September highlights Ofsted’s focus on reducing inspection burdens, and also sets out Ofsted’s commitment to reduce regulatory burdens, streamline inspection processes and tackle the workload side effects of inspection. In addition to this, their new expanded myth-busting document should help schools to understand what is, and what is not, expected by inspectors. These measures align with the Government’s commitment to reduce the burden of inspection. The Department will continue to engage with Ofsted as it implements its strategy.

Schools: Asbestos

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on earmarking an asbestos removal fund to tackle asbestos in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department takes the issue of asbestos in schools seriously, and is committed to supporting schools, local authorities and academy trusts to fulfil their duty to manage asbestos safely. It is the aim of the government that, over time, as more school buildings are replaced and refurbished, all asbestos will be removed from schools.The Department has invested £4.2 billion in maintenance and improvement across the schools’ estate since 2015, enabling local authorities and multi-academy trusts to maintain their school buildings, and is rebuilding or refurbishing buildings at over 500 schools through the Priority Schools Building Programme - an investment of £4.4 billion. Asbestos is being removed or encapsulated where appropriate as part of these programmes.Usage of asbestos in the construction of buildings in Britain, including schools, peaked between 1945 and 1975 before declining until its use was banned in 1999. The Department is currently developing an asbestos management assurance process. This process will ask local bodies responsible for management of asbestos in schools to provide information about whether asbestos is present in their schools and how this is being managed.

Teachers: Recruitment

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the value of using recruitment agencies to recruit teachers.

Nick Gibb: It is for schools to decide how they recruit their staff but the government wants to help schools do so in the most efficient way possible.In the manifesto we committed to creating a national teacher vacancy service for schools to publish vacancies, in order to reduce costs and help them find the best teachers. The aim is to reduce both the time schools currently spend on publishing vacancies and the cost of recruiting new teachers. The service will also make it easier for aspiring and current teachers to find jobs quickly and easily.Dependent on the outcome of our current development phase, we could expect to start building this service in 2018.

Students: Loans

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the total sum owed in student loans in (a) 2000 and (b) 2016.

Joseph Johnson: This information is published in the relevant SLC Annual Report and Accounts for financial year 1999-2000 and financial year 2015-16, both of which are available at: https://www.slc.co.uk/about-us/remit/annual-report.aspx. Please note that the figure for 31 March 2016 excludes outstanding balances on mortgage style loans which were sold by the government in November 2013 and for which information is no longer available.

Higher Education: Part-time Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation of 19 July 2017, Official Report, Col 893, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of buoyant labour markets on the number of students entering part-time higher education in England.

Joseph Johnson: The factors that influence the number of students that enter higher education part-time are complex. External studies have explored the connection between the state of the labour market and the number of people studying in higher education part-time. Government is taking steps to help people who want to study part-time, enabling individuals to gain new skills and advance their careers, and supporting the wider economy. We introduced tuition fee loans for part-time students in 2012/13 and will be offering part-time maintenance loans from 2018/19.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 115565, on Soft Drinks: Taxation, how much of the £60 million for other relevant projects her Department estimates will be spent in each year of the forecast period.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are investing £26 million from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy over the next three years to expand breakfast club provision, to be split as follows: £1 million in 2017-18, £12.5 million in 2018-19, and £12.5 million in 2019-20. We will spend £22 million from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on the Essential Life Skills programme, with a provisional split as follows: £8 million in 2017-18 and £14 million in 2018-19. The remaining funds will be spent on relevant projects in the spending review period.

Pupils: Health

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that all children in state schools who have medical conditions have individual healthcare plans.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since September 2014, schools have been subject to a duty, under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014, to support pupils with medical conditions, and to follow statutory guidance.The guidance sets out that school governing boards should ensure that schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions. It also states that governing boards should ensure that the school’s policy covers the role of individual healthcare plans, and who is responsible for their development.

Academies

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which academy trusts have had schools removed and rebrokered to other trusts; which schools were so removed and rebrokered; and how many schools each academy trust that received a financial notice to improve ran prior to receiving such a notice in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: A list of academies that have moved trust was published in September 2017 in an ad-hoc statistical release “Academy transfers and Funding”. The publication includes information on the new trust and previous trust for each financial year between 2013/14 to 2016/17 and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-trust-transfers-and-grant-funding.Information on trusts which have received a financial notice to improve in 2016 and 2017 can be found in the attached table. This table also includes the names of those academies that were within that trust at the time they were given such a notice. 



Attachment 118584
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Pre-school Education: Teachers

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 118033 on Pre-school Education: Teachers, for what reason her Department does not set a target for the number of enrolments in Early Years Initial Teacher Training courses.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Early Years Initial Teacher Training programme is a demand-led training programme. It is for the training providers to decide on the number of places they can offer. They bid for places and we provide funding to meet the demand.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 116185, when she expects to lay out more detail on extending 30 hours of funded childcare to children in foster care.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Foster carers are able to access the universal 15 hours of free childcare. We also are considering whether it is possible for children in foster care to take up the additional 15 hours in a way that promotes the best interests of the child.

Overseas Students: Asia

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the market share UK Universities currently holds for students studying abroad from (a) India, (b) Pakistan and (c) China.

Joseph Johnson: The government fully recognises the important contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector, both economically and culturally. Global data on international student destinations is not available in the format requested. However, it is available at the tertiary education level from The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at the following link: http://uis.unesco.org/en/uis-student-flow. The link also includes further information on what types of education are included in the definition of tertiary education. This data shows that in terms of overall market share of overseas students studying tertiary level courses, the UK continues to attract the second highest numbers of overseas students (EU and non-EU) after the USA. For Indian and Chinese students it is the third most popular destination and for Pakistani students it is the second.

Children: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the audit of educational provision in residential child and adolescent mental health service settings.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department committed to undertaking a survey of education provided in Inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services following a recommendation from the Health Select Committee in 2014. The survey was conducted this year and we expect to publish the findings shortly.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for the Government to lift the 50 per cent cap on faith-based admissions in new religious schools.

Anne Milton: The ‘Schools that work for everyone’ consultation document recognised that some faiths have felt unable to open new free schools subject to the 50% cap because they believe it contravenes religious rules. The department plans to respond on this in due course. We greatly value the important role faith schools play in our education system and that will continue.

Apprentices: Taxation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing employers to allocate a fixed proportion of funding raised by the Apprenticeship Levy to cover relocation and accommodation costs for apprentices from low-income households.

Anne Milton: We are determined to make sure that people from all backgrounds can benefit from the increased wage and employment prospects that high quality apprenticeships offer. We have made £60 million available to support providers to train apprentices from areas with the highest levels of disadvantage. The apprenticeship levy is set at a level to fund 3 million high quality apprenticeships in England by 2020. In order to deliver this, funds in an employer’s levy account can only be used towards the cost of approved apprenticeship training and assessment. Employers are able to spend their funds on the apprenticeship training which they judge best meets their needs. As the apprenticeship levy was only introduced in April 2017, we do not plan to introduce further flexibilities on how employers can spend their funds at this time.

Schools: Admissions

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to launch the Department's consultation on the starting year for summerborn children.

Nick Gibb: We are concerned that some summer born children may be missing the reception year at school. We remain committed to amending the School Admissions Code so that summer born children can be admitted to a reception class at the age of five when their parents believe it to be in their best interests. Any changes to the Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. We will consider the appropriate time for consulting on these changes in the context of competing pressures on the parliamentary timetable.

GCSE: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils in Ashfield constituency who achieved a grade A* to C in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths, (i) were and (ii) were not in receipt of free school meals in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of pupils, at the end of key stage 41, who were in receipt of free school meals2, achieving A*-C in English and maths3 in Ashfield constituency can be found in the attached table.The number of pupils, at the end of key stage 41, who were not in receipt of free school meals2, achieving A*-C in English and maths3 in Ashfield constituency can be found in the attached table.Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.Free school meal eligibility is taken from the census record for that academic year. Some pupils will have no free school meal eligibility information and have been excluded from this measure.In line with secondary performance measures and early entry policy, discounting has been applied. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores.



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Primary Education: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in Ashfield constituency who were eligible for free school meals attended a primary school rated (a) good and (b) outstanding by Ofsted in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Ofsted inspection data shows the number and proportion of children in Ashfield constituency who were eligible for free school meals (FSM), that attended a primary school rated ‘Good’ in each of the last three years are as follows: · As at August 31, 2015 there were 1,327 eligible for FSM of which 80% were in good schools.· As at August 31, 2016 there were 1,302 eligible for FSM of which 78% were in good schools.· As at August 31, 2017 there were 1,121 eligible for FSM of which 81% were in good schools. Ofsted inspection data shows the number and proportion of children in Ashfield constituency who were eligible for FSM, that attended a primary school rated ‘Outstanding’ in each of the last three years are as follows: · As at August 31, 2015 there were 1,327 eligible for FSM of which 5% were in outstanding schools.· As at August 31, 2016 there were 1,302 eligible for FSM of which 5% were in outstanding schools.· As at August 31, 2017 there were 1,121 eligible for FSM of which 6% were in outstanding schools.

Secondary Education: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in Ashfield constituency who were eligible for free school meals attended a secondary school rated (a) good and (b) outstanding by Ofsted in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Ofsted inspection data shows the number and proportion of children in Ashfield constituency who were eligible for free school meals (FSM), that attended a secondary school rated ‘Good’ in each of the last three years are as follows:As at August 31, 2015 there were 650 eligible for FSM of which, 76% were in good schools.As at August 31, 2016 there were 696 eligible for FSM of which, 78% were in good schools.As at August 31, 2017 there were 821 eligible for FSM of which, 100% were in good schools.Ofsted inspection data shows there were no children in Ashfield constituency who were eligible for free school meals, that attended a secondary school rated ‘Outstanding’ in each of the last three years.

Education: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in (a) Ashfield, (b) Mansfield and (c) Nottinghamshire who are eligible for free school meals reached the expected standard in (i) reading, (ii) writing and (iii) maths at the end of Key Stage 2 in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of pupils, at the end of Key Stage 2, who were eligible for free school meals1, reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics in Ashfield and Mansfield can be found in the attached table.The 2015/16 Key Stage 2 assessments were the first to assess the new, more challenging National Curriculum, introduced in 2014. Due to the changes to the curriculum, figures from 2015/16 are not comparable to those for earlier years.The number and percentage of pupils in Nottinghamshire reaching the expected standard is published in the departments statistical first release, found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-key-stage-2 (select the ‘revised’ publication for each year and then download the local authority tables). The figures for 2017 will be published on 14 December. Free school meal eligibility is taken from the census record for that academic year. Some pupils will have no free school meal eligibility information and have been excluded.



118686 table
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Private Education: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether a community cohesion impact assessment was made before approving the opening of new independent schools in Oldham.

Anne Milton: The only basis for the registration of a new independent school is whether, upon registration, it is likely to meet the independent school standards. If the Secretary of State is satisfied that it will do so, then the school must be registered. However, the standards do include a requirement that the school ensures that pupils understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality in which the school is situated, and to society more widely. There are also other relevant standards such as those relevant to tolerance for people of other faiths and beliefs.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education,  how many households eligible for 30 hours free childcare are on incomes of (a) less than £19,999, (b) £20,000 to £39,999, (c) £40,000 to £59,999, (d) £60,000 to 79,999, (e) £80,000 to 99,999, (f) £100,000 to £119,999, (g) £120,000 to £139,999, (h) £140,000 to £159,999, (i) £160,000 to 179,999, and (j) £180,000 to £200,000.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs checks a parent’s eligibility for 30 hours free childcare (including their income) and a 30 hours eligibility code is generated if the parent is eligible.We do not hold data on the household income of successful applicants for 30 hours free childcare.

Education: North East

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of people aged (a) 18-24, and (b) over 24 in (i) Sunderland and (ii) the north east of England have enrolled in (A) further and (B) higher education in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: The following outlines the details of those in further education.The proportion of people in specified age groups participating in further education in:Houghton and Sunderland South constituency: 2014/152015/162016/17Aged 18-2428.5%27.5%27.5%Aged 25+7.1%6.5%6.7% North East of England: 2014/152015/162016/17Aged 18-2424.7%22.4%21.5%Aged 25+7.2%6.5%6.3% Notes:(1) These figures include Apprenticeships, Workplace Learning, Community Learning, and Education and Training provision (including the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service) taken at General Further Education Colleges (including Tertiary), Sixth Form Colleges, Special Colleges (Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges, and Art and Design Colleges), Specialist Colleges and External Institutions.(2) Proportions include the number of learners that participated at any point during the year. Learners undertaking more than one course will appear only once in the calculated proportions for each academic year.(3) Learner age is as reported on 31 August of each academic year(4) Learners are allocated to regions/constituencies based upon their home postcode(5) Population estimates derived from published Office for National Statistics data:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/parliamentaryconstituencymidyearpopulationestimateshttps://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesanalysistool(6) Mid-year population estimates were used to calculate the proportion of Further Education (FE) participants for the subsequent academic year; for example, mid-2016 population estimates were used to derive the proportion of FE participants in the 2016/17 academic year not 2015/16. The following outlines the details of those in Higher Education. UCAS publish the entry rate for 18 year olds to full-time undergraduate courses by parliamentary constituency. The entry rates for older age groups by parliamentary constituency are not available. 18-year-old entry rates to full-time undergraduate courses 201520162017Houghton and Sunderland South constituency27.5%25.5%26.0%North East of England27.8%28.9%30.3% Notes:(1) Data are published by teh Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) as part of their End of Cycle reports. See: https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis/ucas-undergraduate-releases/ucas-undergraduate-analysis-reports/2017-end-cycle-report andhttps://www.ucas.com/file/86541/download?token=PQnaAI5f.

Education: North East

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to further and higher education institutions for people living in (a) Sunderland and (b) the north east of England.

Anne Milton: The government funds a wide range of Further Education colleges and private training providers across the North East. In addition, the National Apprenticeship Service works with a wide range of public and private sector employers in the region to promote apprenticeships to individuals of all ages. In 2016/17 there were 9,080 adults participating in Further Education in Sunderland and 208,520 in the North East. A number of financial support programmes are available to 16-19 year olds to help with the costs associated with post-16 education. These are: the 16-19 Bursary Fund (which is commonly used to cover the costs of transport, educational trips, and course equipment), Care to Learn (which provides childcare funding and related travel costs for young parents aged under 20) and support with accommodation costs for students aged 16 to 19 via the Residential Bursary Fund and the Residential Student Support. All programmes are subject to eligibilities, but are designed to ensure 16-19 year olds are able to participate regardless of their financial situation. To support access for adults from disadvantaged groups in the North East and across England, the Adult Education Budget funds colleges and providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes Learner Support to help learners with a specific financial hardship and to meet the additional needs of students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Data published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service shows that the 18-year-old entry rate to full-time Higher Education (HE) for the North East of England has increased proportionally by 34 per cent this year, compared to 2006 and by 24.8% in Houghton and South Sunderland. In our last guidance to the Director of Fair Access we asked that areas with the poorest progression to higher education receive particular attention. This includes through more long-term outreach and collaboration with schools. HE Institutions expect to spend more than £860 million on measures to improve access and student success for those from disadvantaged backgrounds through access agreements with the Director of Fair Access for 2018/19. The Higher Education Funding Council for England has put in place ‘The National Collaborative Outreach Programme’ which provides £120 million to 29 consortia undertaking outreach activity in geographical areas where the higher education participation of young people is both low and much lower than expected based on GCSE-level attainment. The North East Collaborative Outreach Programme, covering North East England is one of the consortia being funded.

Higher Education: North East

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students studying at (a) Oxford and (b) Cambridge university came from (a) Sunderland and (b) the north east of England.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on students enrolled at UK higher education institutions (HEIs), including information on the location of each student’s permanent home address before they started their course (known as “domicile”). Across all English HEIs, 0.3% of students enrolled in the academic year 2015/16 were domiciled in the Sunderland local council area and 3.4% were domiciled in the North East region. The attached tables detail the numbers of students who were enrolled at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in the academic year 2015/16 who were domiciled in the Sunderland local council area, the North East region and England respectively, broken down by level of study. Overall, 0.1% of students enrolled at the University of Oxford were domiciled in the Sunderland local council area, and 1.3% domiciled in the North East region as a whole. Overall, 0.1% of students enrolled at the University of Cambridge were domiciled in the Sunderland local council area, and 1.4% domiciled in the North East region as a whole.



Enrolments by level of study for selected domicile
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Schools: Vocational Guidance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England and Wales have a dedicated careers adviser.

Anne Milton: The government’s careers strategy, published on 4 December 2017, explains the importance of careers professionals to our long term plan to build a world class careers system.The department publishes data on the number of staff in schools with the role of careers adviser, but not on independent careers advisers employed by schools.There are 298 schools that reported employing a careers advisor in state funded schools in England, November 2017. The source of this information is the annual School Workforce Census.Information for Wales is a matter for its devolved administration.Schools were placed under a statutory duty to secure independent careers guidance for pupils in September 2012. Schools can retain in-house arrangements for providing careers guidance but must combine this with support from external sources to meet their legal requirements. Statutory guidance underpinning the duty is clear that this should include face-to-face guidance where it is the most suitable.The statutory guidance encourages schools to search for qualified careers practitioners in their area on the UK Register of Career Development Professionals. Individuals providing careers development services can apply to join the register if they are professionally qualified in a career development subject to a minimum of Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Level 6, adhere to the Career Development Institute Code of Ethics and undertake and record a minimum of 25 hours continuing professional development each year. As of June 2017 there were nearly 1,300 people on the register.

Pupil Premium

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans automatically to enrol children on the pupil premium.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We know there are some concerns that schools could be missing out on valuable pupil premium funding following the introduction of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) and under registration for free school meals (FSM). However, school census data shows that overall; the introduction of UIFSM has not adversely affected infant registration rates. We want to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility for FSM and my department is exploring what opportunities exist in the longer term to make FSM registration processes more efficient. The current FSM eligibility criteria requires a claim for the meal to be made on behalf of the pupil. We know that schools and local councils have worked hard over recent years to encourage all eligible families to register for FSM, to ensure that schools receive the full amount of pupil premium funding to which they are entitled. It is possible for schools to identify these pupils, for example through their enrolment processes. We have highlighted and disseminated best practice from these schools and local councils for other schools to use, including a model registration form and guidance.

Drama: GCSE

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students who take drama as a GCSE subject perform better against the Progress 8 measure than students who do not take drama as a GCSE subject.

Nick Gibb: Pupils who take drama have higher progress 8 scores. This may not be the result of taking drama and may be the result of taking more GCSEs. The average progress 8[1] scores of pupils in state funded schools[2], at the end of key stage 4[3], split by whether they entered a GCSE or equivalent qualification in drama[4], are presented in the tables below. .Academic year 2016/17[5] Total pupilsAverage Progress 8 scoreLower confidence interval[6]Upper confidence interval7Pupils not entering drama445,551-0.05-0.06-0.05Pupils entering drama54,0700.150.140.16 Academic year 2015/165 Total pupilsAverage Progress 8 scoreLower confidence interval6Upper confidence interval6Pupils not entering drama452,823-0.05-0.06-0.05Pupils entering drama59,2300.150.140.15   Progress 8 is a new measure which schools and pupils are still adjusting to and with the ongoing transition to reformed GCSE’s, it is expected that Progress 8 scores will be prone to fluctuations initially. Progress 8 is a measure which focuses on each pupil’s ‘starting point’ (key stage 2 attainment) and the progress they make, therefore more analysis is required to unpick which, if any, factors have a definitive influence on these scores. With data for only two years, it is too soon to draw conclusions. More information on Progress 8 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/659860/Secondary_accountability_measures_guide.pdf.State-funded schools include academies, free schools, city technology colleges, further education colleges with provision for 14- to 16-year-olds and state-funded special schools. They exclude independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision.Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.Pupils are recorded as ‘entering drama’ if they sat at least one exam in any drama qualification which is counted in the secondary school performance tables as a GCSE, equivalent or graded drama qualification.2015/16 data is final; 2016/17 data is provisional.Progress 8 scores are estimates and the confidence intervals provide the likely bounds of the true score. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/659860/Secondary_accountability_measures_guide.pdf. There are also significantly fewer pupils entering drama than those who do not, this can lead to undue influence by outliers in the smaller cohort and it is not advised to draw definitive conclusions when the data is mismatched in this way.

Drama: GCSE

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students who take drama as a GCSE subject perform better against the Attainment 8 measure than students who do not take drama as a GCSE subject.

Nick Gibb: The average Attainment 8[1] scores of pupils in state funded schools[2], at the end of key stage 4[3], split by whether they entered a GCSE or equivalent qualification in drama[4], are presented in the tables below.Academic year 2016/17[5] Total pupilsAverage Attainment 8 scorePupils not entering drama471,98745.7Pupils entering drama56,52349.1 Academic year 2015/165 Total pupilsAverage Attainment 8 scorePupils not entering drama478,49449.6Pupils entering drama61,78153.0 Attainment 8 is a new measure which schools and pupils are still adjusting to and with the ongoing transition to reformed GCSEs, it is expected that Attainment 8 scores will be prone to fluctuations initially. Attainment 8 is comprised of a selection of a pupil’s grades and may not include any drama qualifications they have sat, therefore it is not possible to unpick which, if any, factors have a definitive influence on these scores. With data for only two years, it is too soon to draw conclusions. More information on Attainment 8 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/659860/Secondary_accountability_measures_guide.pdf.State-funded schools include academies, free schools, city technology colleges, further education colleges with provision for 14- to 16-year-olds and state-funded special schools. They exclude independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision.Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.Pupils are recorded as ‘entering drama’ if they sat at least one exam in any drama qualification which is counted in the secondary school performance tables as a GCSE, equivalent or graded drama qualification.2015/16 data is final; 2016/17 data is provisional.

Arts: GCSE

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students took (a) music, (b) art, (c) drama and (d) dance GCSE in each region of England in each of the last three academic years for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The number of pupils in state-funded schools, at the end of key stage 4[1], who entered[2] music, art, drama or dance at GCSE level (including equivalents)[3] by region are attached. [1] Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.[2] In line with secondary performance measures and early entry policy, discounting has been applied. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores.[3] Includes GCSE full courses, level 2 equivalents, GCSE double awards and AS levels.



Tables
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.93 KB)

Leader of the House

Statements

Angela Rayner: To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to her oral contribution of 26 October 2017, Official Report, column 459, what the criteria are for determining whether a Minister will make an (a) oral and (b) written statement to the House.

Andrea Leadsom: As I announced on 26 October, the relevant Minister will respond to the resolution of the House by making a statement no more than 12 weeks after the debate.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts on the efficacy of ActiPhage novel technology for testing for bovine TB.

George Eustice: The Actiphage test is not used for TB testing in any other country and the only scientific paper published on the performance of the Actiphage test in a small number of cattle is based on UK data.Officials frequently discuss all aspects of TB control with overseas counterparts and the wider expert community. The most recent opportunity was at the ERADbTB (Eradication of bovine tuberculosis through basic research and discovery) and GRAbTB (Global Research Alliance on bovine tuberculosis) Workshop in Birmingham on 11 and 12 December 2017. In the event that any other country were to begin to use the Actiphage test we would discuss their experience of using the test and its effectiveness. My department has informed the manufacturers of the test that it needs to be validated to OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) standards before it can be considered for official use in England.

Reindeer: Imports

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 30 November to Questions 114885 and 114886, how many of the reindeer imported into the UK in 2016 were (a) females, (b) intact males and (c) castrated males; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: 119 reindeer were imported into the UK in 2016; 51 were female and 68 were male. The Animal and Plant Health Agency is unable to break down imported males into castrated and intact, because this information is not recorded on TRACES.

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that farmers know the method of proposed slaughter for their animals before they agree to sell them.

George Eustice: Factors that a farmer takes into account when deciding where to send stock may include the proposed method of slaughter. Where a farmer has signed up to an assurance scheme, there will be some additional assurance as to the slaughter methods being used under those schemes. Where farmers want to know the method of slaughter used at a particular plant, the information should normally be provided by the plant and it would be the farmer’s choice if they sell their stock to that abattoir. In all slaughterhouses there are strict rules that govern the slaughter of animals in England and the Government will take robust enforcement action against animal welfare breaches when they are identified.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to increase penalties for animal antibiotic or drug abuse for animals destined for food.

George Eustice: There are no plans to increase penalties for such offences, which are covered by the Veterinary Medicine Regulations and the Animals and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits) Regulations. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate operates a UK-wide surveillance programme in accordance with the requirements of Council Directive 96/23/EC, which analyses over 30,000 samples from food producing animals every year for residues of veterinary medicinal products and unauthorised substances, including antibiotics. Where non-compliance with the legislation is found during a follow-up investigation, the producer or keeper presenting the animals or animal produce for the food chain can be referred to the Rural Payments Agency, which can deduct a proportion of their single farm payment for breaching EU CAP cross-compliance rules. Prosecution is considered in the most serious breaches of the legislation. Results show that the majority of farmers, in conjunction with their advising veterinarians, are using veterinary medicines responsibly. Results and a summary of follow-up investigations into non-compliant samples are on Gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/residues-of-veterinary-medicines-in-food-2017. These are updated every two months. A summary of annual results for 2011-2017 is at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/residues-statutory-and-non-statutory-surveillance-results.

Marine Conservation Zones

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2017 to Question 115500, for what reasons a new consultation is being undertaken on the designation of the third tranche of marine conservation zones; what aspect of the designation is under consultation and which (a) individuals and (b) organisations are being consulted.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2017 to Question 115500, whether he plans for the designation of the third tranche of marine conservation zones to be completed by the end of 2018.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2017 to Question 115500, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Scottish Government on Marine Protected Areas which remain outstanding and the Government of Wales on that government's plans for a separate Marine Conservation Zone process.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Public consultation prior to designation is a legal requirement under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. This has not yet happened. The consultation is due to start in the first half of 2018, with designation taking place within 12 months and is expected to happen in 2019. The responsibility for marine protected areas is devolved. The Devolved Administrations keep each other and Defra informed of their plans for marine protected areas.

Food: Cornwall

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure Cornish pasties retain European Protected Status.

George Eustice: I have held meetings with the Cornish Pasty Producers Association to discuss EU protected food names, including the Cornish pasty. The Government is planning to use the EU (Withdrawal) Bill to transfer into domestic law the EU schemes that currently protect Cornish pasties and all our geographical indications (GIs). This will ensure that UK GIs remain protected in the UK after we leave the EU. Future protection for current UK GIs in EU Member States, and for EU GIs in the UK, will be subject to negotiations with the EU.

Neonicotinoids

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the scientific basis is for the Government's decision to ban the use of neonicotinoids

George Eustice: The use of three neonicotinoids has been restricted since 2013 so that they cannot be used on crops attractive to bees, such as oilseed rape. The purpose of these restrictions is to protect bees and other pollinating insects. The Government keeps the developing evidence on neonicotinoids under review. The latest advice from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides is that scientific evidence now suggests the risks posed by neonicotinoids to bees and other pollinators are greater than previously understood. This can be found via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/658146/ecp-ministers-advice-1710.pdf

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

George Eustice: Since January 2015, 1070 staff on the payroll have left Defra. Of those, the recorded number of staff that have left the department in the same period, where non-UK EU nationality is known, is 36.

Animal Welfare: EU Law

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to incorporate animal sentience principles outlined in Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty into UK law after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State set out the Government’s plans to recognise animal sentience in domestic law in a Written Ministerial Statement on 12 December:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-12-12/HCWS340/

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid to the EU in fines for not paying farmers in time under the basic farm payments scheme in the last 12 months.

George Eustice: In the last 12 months the European Commission has proposed a financial correction of €25.4 million relating to late payments made in the UK under the 2015 direct payments, principally the Basic Payment Scheme. Around €12 million of this has been paid to date. The amount of the financial correction is subject to challenge.

Environment Agency: Inland Waterways

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 105954, what progress has been made on the development of proposals to transfer navigation responsibilities and assets from the Environment Agency to the Canal and River Trust since that Answer was given; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Following my meeting with the Chair and Chief Executive of the Canal and River Trust, we have been looking carefully at the proposals made by the Trust to transfer navigation responsibilities and assets from the Environment Agency. We will be holding discussions with the Trust and the Environment Agency over the coming months. In looking at the proposals, we must balance the need to secure the long term future of our managed waterways against the need to ensure that any final agreement offers the best deal for the public purse, and for those who currently work on these waterways. We are analysing the Trust’s proposal to see whether it would provide the benefits the Government wants to derive from a potential transfer.

Llamas: Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made by the Animal and Health Plant Agency of the threat to the llama population in England from tuberculosis; and how many animals have been tested under the Tuberculosis (Deer and Camelid) (England) Order 2014.

George Eustice: Llamas, like most mammals, are susceptible to infection with Mycobacterium bovis (the bovine TB bacterium) and can develop TB if exposed to the bacterium on the farm environment, or through close contact with other TB-infected camelids that may unknowingly be brought into a herd. Llamas are incidental spill-over hosts of the TB bacterium and not considered a significant reservoir of infection for cattle in GB. The TB threat to the British llama population is greatest in the Southwest of England, Midlands and parts of Wales, i.e. in areas with a high endemic prevalence of infection in cattle and badgers. This is where the vast majority of laboratory-confirmed cases of TB in llamas have been detected. The numbers of TB tests conducted on camelids is available on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/other-tb-statistics These official statistics for camelids include both llamas and alpacas.

Department for Exiting the European Union

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to engage with the governments of other EU member states to agree future cooperation on security policy after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: In our future partnership papers, we set out the UK’s unconditional commitment to continue to cooperate with the EU on security - covering all aspects of our security relationship with the EU from foreign and defence policy, to law enforcement and criminal judicial cooperation. The scale and complexity of the common threats we face today will not change after we have left the EU, and it is important that we continue to engage with our European partners throughout the exit process and beyond.Of course, the exact nature of our future relationship with the EU will be a matter for the negotiations. However, we are working closely with Member States and our partners in the EU institutions to ensure a common understanding of the threats we face and how best we can continue to cooperate in this important area. Ministers and senior officials from across Government have been engaging extensively across all other 27 Member States. We continue to welcome ministers from across Europe to the UK on a regular basis. This engagement will continue to be an important part of our work as we develop a deep and special partnership with the EU. We are clear that we want the EU to succeed: a successful EU, with the UK as its closest partner, is in all of our shared interests.

Economic Situation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to his oral evidence to the Exiting the EU Committee on 6 December 2017, whether the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast of the economic impact of withdrawal from the EU is in the public domain.

Mr Robin Walker: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook was published on 22 November 2017 and is available at the following address: http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2017EFOwebversion-2.pdf. This sets out forecasts of the UK economy and public finances to 2022-23, which extends well beyond the point at which the UK leaves the EU.



OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook November 2017
(PDF Document, 2.08 MB)

Aviation

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union what representations the Government has received from the aviation sector on priorities for the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As I said in my answer to Oral Question 902942 on 14 December, I can confirm to my hon. Friend that the Government are working closely with the aviation sector to ensure that it continues to be a major success story for the UK economy. Ministers and officials in our Department and in the Department for Transport have met widely with representatives of the sector since the referendum in 2016, covering the full spectrum of issues affecting the industry.

Aviation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what representations the Government has received from the aviation sector on priorities for the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As I said in my answer to Oral Question 902942 on 14 December, I can confirm to my hon. Friend that the Government are working closely with the aviation sector to ensure that it continues to be a major success story for the UK economy. Ministers and officials in our Department and in the Department for Transport have met widely with representatives of the sector since the referendum in 2016, covering the full spectrum of issues affecting the industry.

Brexit

Eddie Hughes: Whether his Department is preparing contingency plans for use across Government in the event of there being no deal on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: We continue to focus on getting a good outcome that works for the UK and for those in the EU. As we move to the next phase of talks, we do so with a renewed sense of optimism about the deal that can be achieved.While we do not want or expect a ‘no deal’ outcome, as a responsible Government we will continue to prepare for a range of potential outcomes.

Financial Services: UK Trade with EU

Christine Jardine: What recent discussions he has had with representatives of the UK financial sector on the effect on that sector of the UK leaving the single market.

Mr Robin Walker: As I said in my answer to Topical Questions on 14 December, since the creation of our Department, we have engaged closely with the financial services industry. We have received representations from a wide variety of stakeholders, including UK Finance, TheCityUK, the Association of Foreign Banks and the Investment Association, as well as many firms in Edinburgh, which, as the hon. Lady knows well, is a regional and global leader in, among others, the asset management and insurance industries. We will continue to work closely with them and colleagues at the Treasury to ensure that our financial services industry thrives.

European Banking Authority and European Medicines Agency

Marsha De Cordova: What assessment the Government has made of the effect on the UK economy of the (a) European Medicines Agency and (b) European Banking Authority relocating from London to other EU countries.

Mr Robin Walker: The decision to relocate the Agencies was one for the EU27.We have consulted with industry and discussed issues specifically relating to the EBA and EMA as well as other issues and opportunities relating to the banking and life sciences sectors.As part of the negotiations, we will discuss how best to continue cooperation in the fields of medicines and banking regulation.And we are determined to ensure the life sciences sector continues to thrive and the UK’s leading position in financial services is maintained as we leave the EU.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Brexit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union to the House of Lords European Union Committee on 31 October, how many civil servants his Department (a) has recruited and (b) expects to recruit to work on leaving the EU.

Jeremy Wright: Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is doing detailed work with departments to prepare for the upcoming negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning.Members of staff across the Law Officers’ Departments provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Departments’ other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.

Attorney General: Legatum Institute

Liam Byrne: To ask the Attorney General, what meetings he has had with representatives of the Legatum Institute in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Wright: Neither I nor the Solicitor General have had any meetings with representatives of the Legatum Institute in the last 12 months.

Attorney General: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of officials to be employed by his Department and (b) his Department's payroll in (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021 and (v) 2022 as a result of the UK leaving EU.

Jeremy Wright: Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is doing detailed work with departments to prepare for the upcoming negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning.Members of staff across the Law Officers’ Departments provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Departments’ other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, how many sentences broken down by offence were referred to him for being unduly lenient fell outside the Unduly Lenient Scheme in the latest year for which data is available.

Robert Buckland: 837 cases were referred to the AG in 2016. 256 of the 837 cases did not fall within the ULS scheme because they were not imposed in the Crown Court following conviction for an offence within the scheme. A case will be recorded as not falling within the ULS scheme if the offence is outside the ULS scheme, the defendant is not convicted, or they are not sentenced in the Crown Court. The Attorney General’s Office records the cases which do not fall within the ULS scheme primarily by “offence type”. The 256 cases were recorded in the following offence categories: Offence type:Number of cases:Arson1Burglary10 (8 of these sentences were for offences not in the ULS scheme and 2 defendants were acquitted of offences within the ULS scheme)Death by careless driving13Death by dangerous driving2 (both these defendants were acquitted)All other driving - total21Causing serious injury by dangerous driving8Dangerous driving6Driving with excess alcohol3Driving while disqualified2Driving without due care and attention1Driving over the speed limit1Fraud19Hate crime3 (these defendants were sentenced in the magistrates’ court)Other - total67Offences relating to animals19Assault offences (other than under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861)11Assisting an offender2Assisting unlawful immigration1Child abduction2Breaching a court order4Breaching of health and safety law1Criminal damage1Harassment and stalking4Miscellaneous9Terrorism offences4Sending a threatening communication1Weapons offences4Witness intimidation4Section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 18611 (this sentence was imposed after the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial)Section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 186134Section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 186132Sexual Offences Act 19561 (this defendant was found unfit to plead and the indictment stayed)Sexual Offences Act 200310 (4 of these sentences concerned abuse of trust offences, 2 of these sentences were imposed in the youth court, and 1 of these sentences was imposed in Scotland)Indecent images of children30Theft11Total:255[1]   [1] There is 1 case for which the Attorney General’s Office has not recorded the offence category.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, for what reasons the number of offences recorded for 2016-17 in the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 112584 differ from the number of summary convictions recorded in 2016 in the Answer of 13 November 2017 to Question 112585.

Jeremy Wright: This question relates to the differences in recording of data under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015.The data reported by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the answer to Question 112584 differs from that provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the response to Question 112585 in that:CPS data is for the financial year; MoJ data for the calendar year.CPS data includes all offences which have been commenced and have reached a first hearing in Magistrates’ Courts. A defendant may be charged with more than one offence. No central record is kept as to the outcome of the proceedings under s76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015.In contrast, MoJ record the outcome of the proceedings by defendant and for whom this offence was the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed.MoJ data covers cases completed in Magistrates’ Court in 2016, and therefore includes both completed and live cases in the Crown Court.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 112584, on domestic violence: prosecutions, what proportion of the offences recorded in 2016-17 led to summary convictions.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a record of offences which resulted in a summary conviction. However, in 2016/17, there were 70,853 convictions flagged as domestic abuse.

Wales Office

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the criteria was for the removal of certain redactions from the Macur Review,published on 5 December 2017.

Alun Cairns: The Report of the Macur Review published on 17 March 2016 contained a number of redactions to avoid prejudicing ongoing and upcoming criminal prosecutions and trials. Most of the redactions in this category concerned the former North Wales Police superintendent, Gordon Anglesea. The revised report, published on 5 December 2017, reinstates references to Gordon Anglesea except where there is any risk that victims, witnesses or other individuals might be identified.

Wales Office: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Guto Bebb: 45 members of staff have left the Wales Office from 1 January 2015 to 7 December 2017. Of those, none were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review the period of tie during which valid claims can be made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority following the reporting of an incident to the police.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) is a government funded scheme which is designed to compensate victims of violent crime in Great Britain. The rules of the Scheme and the tariff for awards paid under it are approved by Parliament. The current Scheme was introduced in 2012 following consultation and saw reforms to the tariff of injuries and some eligibility criteria but not to the time limits for claims. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) administers the Scheme and decides all claims independently of Ministers and Parliament. The Scheme requires that applicants submit a claim so that that it is received as soon as reasonably practicable after the incident, and in any event no later than two years after the date of that incident. There is additional provision in the Scheme for applicants who were aged under 18 at the time of the incident. Further, the CICA can extend the time limits, but only where due to exceptional circumstances an application could not have been made earlier; and the evidence provided in support of the application means that it can be determined without further extensive enquiries by a claims officer. CICA issued new guidance in October to its staff on compensating young victims of sexual abuse to improve the way that applications involving claims of child sexual abuse are handled and to ensure every victim gets the compensation to which they are entitled. Wider issues about rules of the compensation scheme will be looked at as part of my Department’s work to develop a strategy for victims, and will take into account the findings and recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Council Tax: Prosecutions

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were charged with non-payment of council tax in each year from 2010 to date; and how many of those people served a custodial sentence as a result of that non payment.

Dominic Raab: Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence. Where a person fails to pay the council tax after it has been demanded, the local authority may apply to the magistrates’ court for a liability order. Liability orders are granted for the amount owed plus reasonable costs. If they are still not paid the local authority can apply for a warrant committing an individual to prison; an individual cannot be fined for non-payment of council tax. The number of people imprisoned following non-payment of council tax in England and Wales, by financial year from 2010/11 to 2016/16 can be viewed in table below. National2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Number of Committals to Prison111116981108665106Number of Suspended Committal Orders1,0871,2831,1201,2121,1821,0891,017Number of Suspended Committal Orders further Suspended607566357457357319299Source: HMCTS management informationNotes:Data are taken from a live management information system and can change over time.Data are management information and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics.The data provided is the most recent available and for that reason might differ slightly from any previously published information.The report assumes that 'prosecutions' is a count of the number of Council Tax cases where the following results were applied: CDIMPS (Suspended Committal Order) SC (UPD - Suspended Imprisonment to enforce money owed) SUSPS (Suspended sentence order - imprisonment) CDIMPSF (Further Suspended Committal Order) CDLTI (Civil Debt etc Committal to Prison, Imprisonment (Effective Sentence) CW (UPD - Imprisonment in Default Subsequent to Imposition) IMP (Imprisonment Effective) Where a Case is subject to a Suspended Committal Order, a new Case may have been created for the same Council Tax Case, which then resulted in a Suspended Committal Order being further suspended and/or an imprisonment result being applied.The issuing of a Committal Warrant does not necessarly mean that someone served a custodial sentence, as they may have paid the outstanding Council Tax at any point up to being arrested and physically taken to prison or the Committal Warrant may remain unexecuted where, for example, the defaulter cannot be traced.The data is based on the case hearing date.Data has not been cross referenced with case files.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to publish its response to the recommendations made in the Insurance Fraud Taskforce report of January 2016; and what steps he is taking to reduce fraudulent personal injury claims while ensuring appropriate compensation for genuine claimants.

Dominic Raab: The Government published its response to the Insurance Fraud Taskforce’s report on 26 May 2016 (HCWS28), accepting each of the recommendations. We have introduced a number of reforms to reduce fraudulent personal injury claims. We are taking action on package holiday sickness claims, and have commissioned the Civil Justice Council to consider the rules around low value personal injury claims generally so that we can address the incentives to bring unmeritorious claims. The Government’s whiplash reform programme will help to combat fraudulent personal injury claims, whilst ensuring that genuinely injured claimants are appropriately compensated. Further announcements about these reforms will be made in due course.

Ministry of Justice: Bell Pottinger Group

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations any Minister of his Department has received from Bell Pottinger on behalf of (a) Atos IT Services UK Limited, (b) Centrica PLC, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) Heads of the Valleys Development Company Limited,

Dr Phillip Lee: We have not received any representations from Bell Pottinger.

Prisoners: Families

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued on the provision and supervision of prisoners' family contact.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Prison Rules 1999 require Governors to actively encourage prisoners to maintain outside contacts and meaningful family ties, where appropriate. This is integral to the prisoner’s right to family life as well as their rehabilitation. Visits are seen as crucial to sustaining relationships with close relatives, partners and friends, where appropriate, and help prisoners maintain links with the community.The following details the guidance that has been issued to date on the provision and supervision of family contact:Prison Service Instruction 49/2011 (Prisoner Communication Services) – this policy details the statutory entitlement of prisoners to send and receive letters and sets out that they must have opportunity to make telephone calls;Prison Service Instruction 16/2011 (Providing Visits and Services to Visitors) – gives details of statutory entitlements to visits and the environment that these take place in, as well as who is eligible, and provides guidance on examples of good practices to be adopted by prisons;Prison Service Instruction 15/2011 (Management and Security at visits) – details the policy around management of security at visits. It details who can visit, provision for searches and security and also policy for visit that take place in a special or closed visiting room or a similar closed environment, where necessary, andPrison Service Instruction 30/2013 (Incentives and Earned Privileges) – details, how in accordance with the Prison Rules 1999, prisoners can earn additional social visits (above the statutory minimum set out in the Prison Rules).The government is committed to supporting prisoners to establish or maintain relationships with their families and significant others where appropriate. The Lord Farmer, published his report in August, produced on behalf of the Government, which we have warmly welcomed. Work has already commenced on taking forward some of the important recommendations from this review.

Prisoners' Release: Sheffield

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funds have been made available for support services in Sheffield for women who have left prison in the last 12 months; and what funds she plans to make available for that purpose in the next 12 months?

Dr Phillip Lee: We are developing a strategy for female offenders to improve outcomes for women in the community and in custody. This will also consider how we can improve early intervention and diversion to avoid vulnerable women entering the criminal justice system. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) are contractually required to provide services for female offenders that they are managing in the community, and to deliver resettlement services to offenders both before and following release from prison. As part of our reforms to probation, we have given providers the flexibility to innovate and do what works to reduce reoffending, and to tailor rehabilitative support to the particular needs of offenders locally. These services are provided in Sheffield by South Yorkshire CRC. As part of their supply chain, South Yorkshire CRC have contracted with Changing Lives, a consortium of local organisations, to deliver bespoke interventions for female offenders. The CRC are also working closely with Community Safety Partnerships to improve outcomes for women who have been either a victim of domestic violence or are a sex worker. We have a robust contract management and assurance process in place for CRCs, and continue to assess their performance through a range of service levels, including their delivery of Through the Gate and how they are addressing the specific needs of female offenders.

Prisoners' Release: Homelessness

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of women who have been homeless after leaving prison in the last three years.

Dr Phillip Lee: It is a cross-Government priority to address female offenders’ housing and support needs given the link between homelessness and re-offending. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS) are required to facilitate access to housing and support services for the female offenders that they are managing. This includes working together with local partners to help women find and maintain accommodation as part of a package of support tailored to meet their individual needs. The table below shows the proportion of women under CRC supervision recorded as homeless, based on releases from prison who are. There is no equivalent Settled Accommodation on Release metric for the NPS so data on NPS releases has not been included. Revised recording to capture data for this metric was not introduced until August 2015, so data prior to this are not available. National coverage of accommodation status was not sufficient to report data until the period Jan-Mar 2016 onwards. Releases of Female Allocated Persons (of a CRC) From Custody   Quarter   Jan-Mar 2016Apr-Jun 2016Jul-Sep 2016Oct-Dec 2016Jan-Mar 2017Apr-Jun 2017Releases 1,1431,0551,0509721,0921,087Recorded as Homeless1103132126134164227% of Releases recorded as homeless9.0%12.5%12.0%13.8%15.0%20.9%   Notes:1Cases where the Accommodation Status recorded on the day of release was: Homeless (any), Squatting or No fixed Abode were counted as homeless.Not all releases have an Accommodation Status recorded; of this dataset, between 16% and 5% of releases in each quarter did not record an accommodation status.The reported proportion homeless increases over the reported period (9% to 21%), however the rate of non-recording has decreased due to HETE initiative (16% to 5%).It cannot be assumed that homelessness has increased.Because recording of Accommodation Statuses at release in London CRC is too low to be reliable, London CRC has been excluded from this dataset.Releases at Licence Expiry (without post-sentence supervision), releases following a period on remand without a custodial sentence, and releases outside of HMPPS authority (e.g. release for deportation, release to an address in Scotland or Northern Ireland) are not in this dataset.This dataset records each release separately; if an offender is released more than once, they will appear more than once in this dataset.Releases of persons who are not Allocated Persons of a CRC (i.e. offenders managed by the NPS) are not included in this dataset.

Ministry of Justice: Labour Turnover

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.

Dr Phillip Lee: The following table shows the number of staff that have left the department since 1 January 2015. These figures include all leavers from the department, including (but not limited to) individuals whose contracts have ended, machinery of government transfers, dismissals, retirements, transfers to OGDs, voluntary and compulsory exits. They include leavers from the following business groups: MOJ HQ, HMPPS, HMCTS, LAA, OPG and CICA. All MOJ Leavers 01.01.2015 to 30.09.2017 PeriodMOJHMPPSTotal01.01.15 - 30.09.177,02110,70917,730 We are unable to calculate how many of these members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries as we do not hold data on employee’s nationality, and have no business requirement to do so.

Prisoners: Weapons

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in England and Wales were prosecuted for possession of a weapon while in prison in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, c) 2016 and (d) 2017 to date.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Serious Crime Act 2015 introduced an offence of unauthorised possession in prison of a knife or offensive weapon. Data on proceedings in 2015 and 2016 is available on the gov.uk website.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614435/experimental-statistics-by-ho-offence-code.zipData on proceedings in 2017 is not yet available.

National Tactical Response Group

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many separate occasions National Tactical Response Group officers were deployed to (a) HM Prison Buckley Hall, (b) HM Prison Forest Bank, (c) HM Prison Manchester and (d) HM Prison Hindley in each year since 2010.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fully trained National Tactical Response Group officers were in post in each year since 2010.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget for the National Tactical Response Group was for each year since 2010; and what estimate he has made of what the budget will be for each year up to 2020.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria his Department uses when deciding where to base national tactical response group officers for individual prisons across England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) provide a specialist service to prisons through the deployment of staff resources with tactical and operational expertise required to bring about resolution to serious incidents of disorder. The service includes planning and preparation of tactical options to Gold, Silver and Bronze Commanders, and the implementation of those orders and this service is not solely limited to violent incident. NTRG are also the provider of training in Use of Force, developing the curriculum from which prison officers receive training in basic and advanced level control and restraint, personal protection techniques, and use of batons. They also complete cross government resilience assurance work and professional practice development around HMPPS operational response capabilities. The answers to all four NTRG related questions submitted follow below; Number of NTRG staff in post by yearYearStaffManagersTotal201024327201124327201224327201324327201424327201535338201641344201741344   NTRG ATTENDANCE AT REQUESTED SITES BY YEARYearHMP Buckley HallHMP Forest BankHMP HindleyHMP Manchester201010002011001120123181201301302014223352015317202016715720170285   The budget allocation for National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) is shown below. These figures include pay and non-pay items (including training materials, operational incident consumables and vehicle costs). It is not possible to retrieve the 2010 data information within the time available. NTRG Budget2011-121.6m2012-131.6m2013-141.7m2014-151.8m2015-161.8m2016-171.9m2017-181.5m2018-191.5m2019-201.5mThere has been no reduction in our investment in NTRG from 2017-18, in fact the position is quite the opposite. The funding position has changed due to the transfer of NTRG staff cost from the HR Directorate into the SOCT Directorate during 2017/18. The reason for the comparative budget reduction is that HR Directorate have held onto £0.2k budget for Facilities Management costs within the Learning & Development Unit and the average pay used to set the pay budget allocation for 17/18 was based on average costs which are £7k lower than in previous years and will need to be adjusted next year to reflect Operational rather than HQ posts of approx. £0.41m. HMPPS Budgets are set at the beginning of the year, but are subject to changes and adjustments during the course of the year due to changes in scope and priorities of the business.   NTRG staff work from one of two centres, and are deployed to establishments as the need arises. The deployment of NTRG staff to establishments is managed centrally and subject to operational considerations and priorities. The decision to deploy our specialist resources can be taken as a precautionary measure, however it is usually in response to an ongoing incident or disorder.

Reoffenders

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reoffending rate was among prisoners who were released on temporary licence in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It is not possible to answer this question without incurring disproportionate costs.

Berwyn Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of installing medical facilities at HMP Berwyn to reduce the pressure on local NHS providers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A full range of health and wellbeing services are available to the men at HMP Berwyn including primary care services, mental health and learning disability services, and services for men with a need for substance misuse services. These services are housed in purpose built facility and are staffed by a variety of health and wellbeing professionals. Health is devolved in Wales. Welsh Government, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and the HMP Berwyn project team have worked closely together to assess the potential impact of HMP Berwyn on local health services, including emergency services. A full health needs assessment was carried out in the early stages of the development of the prison and models of care were developed from this, with the aim of reducing the local health impact as far as possible.

Berwyn Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the procedure is for taking an inmate from HMP Berwyn to local A&E services.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Men who present with issues which may require attendance at hospital, short of emergency medical issues, are assessed by health professionals before any decision is made to take them to hospital. There are a wide range of interventions which can be provided by the health and wellbeing team in situ to prevent the need for men to attend at local emergency departments. In the event of a medical emergency a man may be transferred to local services if care cannot be provided within HMP Berwyn but men are transferred back to the prison at the earliest appropriate opportunity. A risk assessment will decide the level of staffing required for the safe transfer to hospital and during any further hospital stay. This will be completed before any move to hospital from HMP Berwyn except in an emergency. The risk assessment is approved by the Head of Security or the person operationally in charge of the prison.

Custodial Treatment: Private Sector

Richard Burgon: pursuant to the Answer of  6 December 2017 to Question HL 3476, on Custodial Treatment: Private Sector, how much was paid out of the public purse to private providers in each year since 2010 for the management of custodial sentences; what the total planned expenditure to private providers will be in each year up to 2020  and which private companies he estimates will receive the largest amount of funding in each of those years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested can be found in the table below. Full Year Forecast (At end of November 2017)Draft Medium Term Financial Planning (MTFP) Budgetary Estimates, for planning purposes and not yet agreed or allocated as budgets2017/20182018/20192019/2020£469,511,861£479,914,867£492,105,132 The provider projected to receive the largest sum over the years in question is G4S as the operator in a total of five of the fourteen privately managed prisons in England and Wales. The amounts shown in the summary above are inclusive of payments to Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) which act as the prime contractors for three of those five privately managed prisons and pay G4S to operate them.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Richard Burgon: Pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2017 to Question 116478 on Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), how many people work in the Contract Management Teams (CTM); what the annual budget is of the CTMs; how many times a CMT notified a CRC that its staffing levels needed to be increased; and what criteria CMTs use to assess the adequacy of a CRC's level of staffing.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The CRC Contract Management Group in the HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Directorate of Community Interventions is responsible for managing the 20 CRC contracts in England. The Group currently operates with an annual budget of £5,302,127, and 80.19 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff. Contract Management of Wales CRC is the responsibility of HMPPS in Wales, and currently employs 4.25 FTE staff for this purpose, with an annual budget of £233,000. The contracts with CRCs require each CRC to ensure that it employs a sufficient level of staff, and that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. Our CMTs closely monitor and robustly manage providers on a local basis, taking into account the regional context, to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Offenders: Housing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) male and (b) female offenders who have accommodation found for them on the first night out of prison by a community rehabilitation company; and if he will make statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As a result of our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, all offenders now get targeted support before and after they leave prison to help them reintegrate into society. This includes working with local partners to help them find accommodation including, where necessary, emergency accommodation. Local authorities are statutorily responsible for working with and supporting an individual in order to assist them into securing settled accommodation. We currently publish the performance of Community Rehabilitation Companies against Assurance Metric C, which measures the percentage of offenders who have settled accommodation on release from custody. The latest published information can be found in the ‘Community Performance Quarterly Management Information Release: April to June 2017’ on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-performance-quarterly-mi-update-to-june-2017. We are considering the development of a performance measure for accommodation on first night out of prison for introduction in 2018/19.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in excess of Certified Normal Accommodation there have been in the prison estate in each of the last five years; and what estimate the Government has made of that number in each of the next five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information on how many prisoners in excess of Certified Normal Accommodation there have been in the prison estate in England and Wales in each of the last five years is set out in the following table. This information can also be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-population-statistics We do not forecast CNA levels. MonthIn Use Certified Normal AccommodationPopulationPrisoners in excess of In Use Certified Normal AccommodationJune 201279,45086,3526,902June 201377,73083,7966,066June 201476,01785,5829,565June 201577,22086,0288,808June 201676,81985,1308,311June 201776,02685,8639,837 Note: CNA, or uncrowded capacity, is the HM Prison Service’s own measure of accommodation. CNA represents the good, decent standard of accommodation that the Service aspires to provide all prisoners. We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts. Our reforms will close ageing and ineffective prisons and replace them with buildings fit for today’s demands. Our prison estate will have modern prison places that create the physical conditions for Governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitation outcomes.

G4S: Electronic Tagging

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of G4S in fulfilling its contract to electronically tag offenders.

Mr Sam Gyimah: G4S provide electronic monitoring hardware (tags and home monitoring units) under contract to the Ministry of Justice having ceased delivery of field services and monitoring operations in early 2014 when the contract was transferred to Capita. On 13th November 2017 a new contract with G4S for the supply of next generation electronic monitoring hardware devices was signed. The competition was fully in line with rigorous procurement regulations to ensure best value for the taxpayer. G4S was subject to stringent requirements throughout the process – including quality thresholds and financial standing. The hardware itself met strict technical specifications and was subject to a comprehensive testing regime. Capita continue to provide the field services and monitoring operations. Electronic monitoring is an important tool to improve supervision in the community and support offenders to change their lives. The contracts are subject to stringent specifications and the equipment has been rigorously tested to exacting performance standards. The Department has robust processes in place to monitor and manage contractors and will not hesitate to take action if standards fall short of those expected.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with Police and Crime Commissioners about devolving justice powers locally.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Secretary of State and junior ministers have had meetings with various Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), including those for North Yorkshire, Sussex, Hertfordshire, Northumbria and Thames Valley, to discuss matters relating to the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Amongst the topics discussed have been their ambitions for greater devolution in the CJS. Together with the Home Office, Ministry of Justice officials are exploring how PCCs and Mayors with PCC powers can play a greater role in the wider CJS. The strengths that PCCs currently bring to policing could be of real benefit to the wider CJS, and we are keen to explore this further.

Antisocial Behaviour

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) civil injunctions in relation to anti-social behaviour, (b) Community Protection Notices and (c) Criminal Behaviour Orders have been  issued in each financial year from 2010 to date.

Dominic Raab: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prison Accommodation: Overcrowding

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many men in prison are cell sharing on the basis of (a) two to a cell designated for one and (b) three to a cell designated for two; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information on the percentage of prisoners in doubled accommodation (two prisoners held in a cell designed for one) is published as Official Statistics in the Supplementary Tables to the annual Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Digest on https://www.gov.uk/. This is published alongside information on the overall level of crowding, most of which is made up of doubling, but also includes other forms of crowding, i.e. trebling (typically three held in a cell designed for two) and crowding in dormitories, which are rare. This has been shown below.  1998/91999/002000/012001/022002/032003/042004/05Doubling18.619.017.518.020.822.122.5Trebling and other crowding1.51.10.81.22.62.81.8Total Crowding20.020.118.219.223.324.824.3  2005/062006/072007/082008/092009/102010/112011/12Doubling22.123.123.624.223.623.324.1Trebling and other crowding1.91.61.61.11.00.91.0Total Crowding24.024.625.325.324.624.225.1  2012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Doubling23.023.224.523.823.6Trebling and other crowding0.90.91.00.70.9Total Crowding23.924.125.524.524.5 We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts. Our reforms will close ageing and ineffective prisons and replace them with buildings fit for today’s demands. Our prison estate will have modern prison places that create the physical conditions for Governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitation outcomes.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Official Hospitality

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the expenditure of (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on hospitality since 7 May 2015.

David Mundell: The total spend of the Scotland Office on hospitality since May 2015 is as follows: 2015-2016 £ 8,987.002016-2017 £ 453.35 The 2015-16 figure includes food and drink spend for both events and hospitality, as these were not recorded separately. From 2016, events spend has been recorded separately to hospitality spend. This is reflected in the figures above.

Scotland Office: Buildings

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland,what the running costs are for each building used by his Department.

David Mundell: The cost of running the Scotland Office buildings in 2016-17 was as follows:Melville Crescent£253,217Dover House £601,456

European City of Culture: Dundee

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the (a) eligibility of and (b) support for Dundee's bid to be European City of Culture.

David Mundell: I regularly discuss matters of interest to Scotland with Cabinet colleagues and have expressed my support for Dundee’s bid to the DCMS Secretary of State and ministers at every available opportunity. The UK Government is in discussions with the European Commission about the position it has taken on UK participation and is also in discussions with the five cities that submitted bids to host the European Capital of Culture 2023. I would be happy to meet with the honourable Member to discuss this in more detail.

Autumn Budget 2017: Scotland

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what representations his Department made to the Chancellor before the Autumn Budget 2017.

David Mundell: My Department is in regular contact with the Treasury, making representations on a wide range of matters with impact in Scotland. I have regular discussions with all my Cabinet colleagues including the Chancellor about matters of importance to Scotland.

Emergency Services: Scotland

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will take steps to reimburse VAT payments made by Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue between 2013 and 2017.

David Mundell: Under the previous arrangements, Scottish services were locally-funded and were able to recover VAT under UK law, but the new bodies became ineligible to recover VAT as they were no longer locally funded. The Scottish Government was aware of this but decided to restructure in full knowledge of these consequences. To support our brave police and fire services in Scotland, the government will legislate in Finance Bill 2017-18 to allow Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to recover normally irrecoverable VAT which will save Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service c. £40m per year. The change will come into effect in April 2018.

Devolution: Scotland

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on providing additional resources to the Scottish Government to administer powers repatriated to the Scottish Parliament after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with members of the Cabinet, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Barnett Formula is operating as usual where additional funding is being provided to UK Government departments to prepare for EU Exit in devolved areas.

Budgets: Scotland

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions the Government has had with the Scottish Government on its 14 December 2017 budget.

David Mundell: I meet regularly with Scottish Government ministers to discuss a wide range of issues.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans his Department has to secure additional funding for the Scottish Government.

David Mundell: The Autumn Budget demonstrates that the UK Government is delivering for Scotland. From support for city deals and some of our finest charities to landmark tax measures on oil and gas and whisky, this Budget backs Scotland’s great industries. This is in addition to the £2 billion of extra spending power the Scottish Government will have as a result of this Budget.

Cabinet Office

Official Secrets

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data is held by his Department's Foxhound data service by each Government department and data category.

Caroline Nokes: FOXHOUND is a Cabinet Office-led, cross-government IT programme to develop a new secure capability for managing sensitive information, including that which is classified as SECRET. The aim is to bear down on the growing information and cyber risk, whilst improving scope for collaboration across the National Security Council departments in particular and other relevant organisations. The nature of the information in question is therefore by definition security-related or otherwise sensitive.

Civil Servants: Disability

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of workers with a disability in each Government Department declared that were treated fairly at work in each Civil Service People Survey since 2014.

Caroline Nokes: Holding answer received on 11 December 2017



The detailed data from the Civil Service People Survey for each Government Department from 2014-2017 is provided as a table in Annex A. Most Government Departments have seen the proportion of disabled staff who feel they are treated fairly at work increase since 2014. Each year the proportion of staff with a disability1 who declared they were treated fairly at work has been in the following ranges:2014 - 60% to 81%2015 – 61% - 81%2016 – 60% - 92%2017 - 65% to 84% 1. Survey respondents are classed as having a disability if they answer 'yes' to the question, 'Do you have any long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability?'

Older People

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the increase in the number of people in the UK aged over 100 between 2017 and 2022.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 143.46 KB)

Food: Trade Agreements

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, which Department is taking the lead on developing free trade deals for food products.

Caroline Nokes: The Department for International Trade is responsible for delivering a new trade policy framework for the UK as we leave the EU. It works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which is responsible for supporting our world-leading food and farming industry.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2017 to Question 116685, what plans he has to make an assessment of the potential reasons for areas reporting significant increases in registered electors.

Chris Skidmore: We keep the evidence on democratic engagement under constant review. We are also exploring ways of making available more data about levels of registration to assist Electoral Registration Officers and others in maximising registration. Further detail will be set out in the Democratic Engagement Plan to be published later in December 2017.

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office,  (a) how many and (b) what proportion of his Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions have advised that the requested information was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost associated with data collection and collation in the current session.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office have answered 19 written parliamentary questions explaining that the requested information was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost in the current session. This is out of a total of 994 parliamentary questions that have been answered.